Prime Minister Ariel Sharon left this morning on a 26-hour visit to Germany and France in attempts to explain Israel's position and call for additional European pressure on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Sharon's European trip comes amidst growing coalition friction at home; two right-wing ministers in Sharon's government suspended their cabinet participation until Sharon agreed to discuss their proposals to end Israel's policy of restraint.

The first stop on Sharon's trip will be Berlin, where he will meet with President Johannes Rau and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Sharon will tell his German hosts that their pressure on Arafat had forced the Palestinian leader to agree to the American-brokered cease-fire and that additional pressure was needed to get Arafat to begin implementing that agreement. While in Berlin, Sharon may receive a relayed message from the Hizbullah due to German mediation efforts to release the kidnapped Israeli hostages being held in Lebanon.

Sharon's visit to Paris, where he will meet French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, is expected to be stormy. The French media have reported that human rights organizations and leftists are expected to stage massive protests against Sharon. The demonstrators will call for prosecution of Sharon over his role in the Sabra and Shatilla massacre and will demand an end to French-Israeli military cooperation.

The reception by French officials is expected to be difficult as well. Reuters reported that French officials have indicated that they would confront Sharon with tough questions, including the failure to announce a Jewish settlement freeze and Sharon's public vilification of Arafat as "a murderer and pathological liar."

"It is in nobody's interests to weaken President Arafat, including the Israelis, and that should stop,'' a French diplomatic source told Reuters.

Sharon originally planned to travel to Europe at the beginning of June, but the trip was cancelled in the wake of the suicide bombing at Tel Aviv's Dolphinarium. On the original itinerary was a visit to Belgium, which has recently taken over the rotating European Union presidency. The stop in Brussels was not included in the rescheduled trip in protest over judicial efforts there to prosecute Sharon.

Even so, Sharon will meet today with Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel, who is traveling especially to Berlin in an effort to mend fences between the two countries.

National Union ministers to boycott cabinet meetings
Tourism Minister Rechavam Ze'evi and National Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman informed Prime Minister Sharon yesterday that they would boycott government meetings until the government discussed their proposals. Even so, both Ze'evi and Lieberman would continue to serve in their respective government ministries, be part of the government and Ze'evi would continue to attend security cabinet meetings.

Earlier this week, the cabinet refused to discuss the meeting held between Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and Arafat, causing Ze'evi to storm out of the room. Additional proposals the two National Union ministers have been unable to discuss include ending Israel's policy of restraint, the cessation of negotiations under fire with the Palestinian Authority and the strengthening of infrastructure and security for Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.

"[Sharon] promised the voter security for Jews in the land of Israel and if we don't provide that then we must protest against the prime minister, even though he is one of us," Ze'evi said.

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