Likud Central Committee members gathered yesterday in a heated showdown between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his policies of restraint, and former Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his attempts to stage a political comeback. Judging by the applause, banners and catcalls that Likud activists presented the leaders of their party, Netanyahu emerged from the session the clear winner, if not by knock-out, at least by shout-down.

"There is no internal war within the Likud," Netanyahu declared at the beginning of his speech to the Likud members. But those who attended the session held in Tel Aviv last night were well aware that the opening shots had been fired in the battle between Netanyahu and Sharon over the Likud party leadership.

Netanyahu: The restraint brought an escalation in terror
In his speech Netanyahu refrained from attacking Sharon, but did not hesitate to indicate his displeasure with

"You keep shouting, and I will handle terrorism." - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Bibi Netanyahu supporters

Sharon's policy of restraint. The restraint "did not bring us good faith [from the Palestinians] but rather an escalation in terror, an international demand for more restraint and foreign observers that we don't want" Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu reminded party members of the days when he was Prime Minister, when he demanded that the Palestinians collect illegal weapons and limit their security forces as a condition for dialogue, "and as a result of this policy, we enjoyed three years of relative quiet."

Netanyahu said he had warned that the Oslo Accords would allow the Palestinians to establish a base for terrorism. "Palestine does not yet exist, and it is important that it never gets established, but already we have mortars attacking us and the Hizbullah is active in Palestinian territory."

Netanyahu attacked the unity government and especially Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres, who he accused of hampering the fight against terror with dreams of a "new Middle East." Netanyahu said he supported the idea of a unity government, as long as it was "a government with a Likud policy."

Netanyahu's speech was greeted by supportive applause and occasional calls of "Bibi!" Nonstop heckling interrupted the Prime Minister's speech, which followed some twenty minutes later.

Sharon: We rebuilt the Likud
Sharon, in his speech, reminded party members of the Likud's difficult situation following the 1999 elections, when Netanyahu was party leader. "We believed, worked and succeeded in rebuilding the Likud," Sharon declared.

The hecklers raised their voices when Sharon began to address the security situation. "What about the terrorism?" they called out. A huge banner was lifted, sporting a Sharon statement from a previous Likud gathering -- "Who is in favor of eliminating terror?"

"You keep shouting, and I will handle terrorism," Sharon responded to the hecklers. "With screams and shouts no one has ever accomplished anything, not against terror and certainly not against me."

Sharon began to list the security accomplishments of the government, to show the crowd that there had been successes in the war against terror. "A terror cell in Bethlehem was about to attack -- they no longer exist. A Hamas commander in Tulkarm was about to make an attack -- he no longer exists."

Sharon refused to give in to the heckling of the crowd, or to change his policies. "The responsibility lies on my shoulders," he said. "There is a big difference between he who shouts out slogans and he who has the responsibility."

Battle of shirts and banners
The Israeli media focused on the colorful efforts of Netanyahu supporters to gain the upper hand at the Likud Central Committee session. Likud members wearing shirts with the slogan "Netanyahu will bring the smile back to the nation" and carrying banners with the same message were not allowed into the auditorium.

"They're shutting us up! What are we, Russia?" some of Netanyahu's activists asked bitterly.

The next time Netanyahu and Sharon will meet at a Likud party gathering will be more crucial to their political futures. The Central Committee will convene in September to discuss the procedures necessary to select the party's leader.

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