Israel's march towards what appears to be an inevitable early election gained speed yesterday after new Labor Party leader Amir Peretz threatened to act quickly to bring down Ariel Sharon's government.

Peretz's call for Sharon to meet him immediately to discuss a date for a new national ballot, or face a Labor move in the coming week to end their political alliance, was rejected out of hand by a top aide to the prime minister.

The political upheaval following Peretz's surprise ousting of elder statesman Shimon Peres in a Labor party leadership vote is likely to put any resumption of violence-stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians even more firmly on hold.

"With all due respect to politics, nothing can be done before Thursday," Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said, referring to Peretz's demand on Saturday to meet Sharon earlier.

Peretz, in a television interview, said Labor "may act to topple the government on Wednesday" in the absence of a meeting with the prime minister before then.

The opposition National Religious Party is to present a bill on Wednesday for the dissolution of parliament. Its passage, which requires Labor's support, would set the ball rolling towards an election as early as February.

In any case, Peretz has said he will propose to Sharon an election in March or in May, advancing a vote not due until November 2006.

A pledge to leave Sharon's government over what Peretz has called its neglect of Israel's poor was a centerpiece of the 53-year-old trade union leader's campaign to replace Peres, 82.

Sharon remains 'calm'

"Looking at the prime minister's timetable, I remind everyone there are commitments related to the anniversary (of the assassination) of Yitzhak Rabin," Maimon told Army Radio.

"Ariel Sharon is not getting excited over Amir Peretz's ultimatums," he added in a separate interview with Israel's YNet web site.

Sharon is due to attend a series of memorial events marking the 10th anniversary of Rabin's killing by an ultranationalist Jew opposed to his interim peace deals with the Palestinians.

In a major show of strength by Israel's left, a crowd estimated by organizers at around 200,000 gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday to remember Rabin in the square where he was shot.

Holding signs with slogans such as "The path to peace will never be killed", the crowd stood for a moment's silence and sang memorial songs.

An enormous picture of Rabin hung behind the stage next to the words "10 Years After The Murder" as thousands of sombre Israelis as far as the eye could see listened to speeches and songs in the name of peace.

The rally began with a played recording of Rabin's last speech, an address against violence, delivered in the same square one hour before he was shot by Yigal Amir.

Waving Israeli flags and banners, some carrying candles, the crowd stood shoulder to shoulder, faces tilted towards the stage to watch and listen to footage looking back on Rabin's life and the fateful night 10 years ago.

In his first public appearance since his election, Peretz told the crowd Israel needed to quit West Bank land it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and work toward a permanent peace deal with the Palestinians.

"We need a moral road map toward the end of the occupation and the signing of a permanent agreement," Peretz said. "We will not rest until we have carried out (Rabin's) way."

Clinton's friend

Former US President Bill Clinton joined dozens of foreign dignitaries at the rally. Clinton, who helped broker Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, said he had loved Rabin, who he had always called a "chaver," Hebrew for friend.

"There has not been a week in the last 10 years where I have not thought of him and missed him," Clinton said. "However many years he had left, he gave them up on this spot for you and your future," he told the crowd.

He urged all present to carry on Rabin's legacy. "Remember if he were here he would say... If you really think I lived a good life, if you think I made a noble sacrifice in death then for goodness sake take up my work and see it through to the end," he said.

Peres, who also shared the 1994 Nobel peace prize with Rabin and Yasser Arafat, delivered an impassioned plea for peace.

"No one made peace in your place... You must give direction to an immense peace movement. We don't want candles of remembrance, but flames of hope," shouted the veteran statesman.

"Peace, peace, the peace the calm, the peace of gentleness, the peace of love, another day, another day," sang Moshe Ben Ari. Blue and white balloons the colour of the Israeli flag were released into the air.

Commemorative events

The rally begins a series of official ceremonies to honor Rabin's life and death that will culminate today, when the anniversary falls in accordance with the Hebrew calendar.

Polls shows that Rabin is considered Israel's best prime minister since the Jewish state was set up in 1948.

A poll published by the Maariv newspaper revealed that Israelis consider Rabin's assassination the third most important event in the history of the Jewish state, behind the 1973 Yom Kippur and the 1967 Middle East wars.

Saturday's demonstration was the biggest peace rally in Israel since its Gaza pullout on September 12.

Violence has worsened since Rabin's death, especially during the past five years of a Palestinian uprising in which more than 3,400 Palestinians and almost 1,000 Israelis have been killed.

(China Daily November 14, 2005)