Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon moved swiftly Friday to forge a national unity government after winning approval to reshape his coalition and crushing internal opposition to his Gaza pullout plan.
Sharon, who has been bereft of a parliamentary majority for the last six months, was given a major boost in Tel Aviv Thursday night when the central committee of his own Likud party finally approved his plans to bring the main opposition Labour faction into government.
After suffering the embarrassment of a defeat in a similar vote back in August, victory by a resounding 1,410 to 857 vote margin was particularly sweet for Sharon.
A source close to the prime minister said that Sharon had already phoned the veteran Labour leader Shimon Peres to start talks on joining the government. Peres has previously indicated that he is keen to enter the cabinet in order to ensure the implementation of the so-called disengagement plan.
"Negotiations should begin at the beginning of next week after the Labour leadership gives them the green light Saturday evening," the close aide to Sharon said.
The source added that Sharon was also Friday to invite the two ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism to join the government.
While Shas, opposed to the withdrawal from Gaza, is likely to stay outside the government, the five deputies of the UTJ are expected to come on board.
Sharon warned ahead of the vote that he would have no option but to call new elections if he was not given room for manoeuvre to bring about a new coalition.
After losing three coalition partners in little more than six months, Sharon can currently rely on the support of only 40 of the 120 members of the Israeli parliament.
While Labour has been giving him support on votes related to the Gaza pullout, Sharon has been unable to win support for other key policies such as his 2005 state budget.
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that the formation of a new cabinet "will allow us to bring about significant change".
"The disengagement plan is the key to improving our international position, both politically and economically," he added.
The top-selling Yediot Aharonot daily said that Sharon's threats to call new elections rather than a genuine change of heart among Likud hardliners was the main reason for his victory.
"The threat of early elections and the shortening of their term of office in the Knesset were the catalyst that changed the position of the MPs and ministers," it said.
"The great majority of these still opposes the evacuation of settlements from Gaza and the unilateral disengagement plan.
"They find it difficult to understand why Sharon is leading the Likud to an internal rift. They do understand that if they do not rally behind him they will hang - and not alongside him."
Sharon, who has traditionally been seen as the ultimate champion of the settlers, has vowed to see through the uprooting of the 8,000 Jewish residents of Gaza next year.
By leaving Gaza and four small Jewish enclaves in the northern West Bank, Sharon is hoping to alleviate pressure on Israel for a more comprehensive withdrawal from the West Bank where the vast majority of the 245,000 settlers live.
The Palestinians are deeply suspicious of Sharon's intentions, fearing that he will use the pullout from Gaza as an opportunity to block progress on the wider peace process.
Negotiations minister Saeb Erakat said that the Likud vote was an "internal matter" but expressed hope that a new Israeli government would help revive the peace process.
"We hope the formation of a new Israeli government will lead to the reviving of a meaningful peace process," Erakat said.
Sharon had initially said that the pullout from Gaza would be implemented on a unilateral basis. However since the emergence of a more moderate Palestinian leadership since Yasser Arafat's death last month, Sharon has indicated a willingness to coordinate the process with the Palestinians.
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