Labor to join forces with Pensioners Party rebels

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
The Labor Party will receive a boost in the coming days, as a deal is expected to be finalized on a partnership with the three MKs who broke off from the Pensioners Party. MK Moshe Sharoni's Justice for the Pensioners faction is not expected to merge with Labor, but they will agree to form a "parliamentary front" that would allow Sharoni to become a minister and Labor to boast that it has 22 MKs, up from the 19 it won in the election. "When we have 22 MKs compared to Kadima's 29, the difference isn't a big deal anymore," Labor faction chairman Eitan Cabel said. "It allows us to demand completely different treatment from Kadima. We can demand a full partnership, just short of veto power on the key issues of the day." While Cabel said former Pensioners Party MKs Sharoni, Elhanan Glazer and Sarah Marom-Shalev would cooperate with Labor on every issue. Sharoni said the deal would apply only to issues related to helping senior citizens and that his three MKs would maintain freedom to vote their conscience on diplomatic issues. The addition of the three MKs to the coalition will make it easier for Kadima leader Tzipi Livni to form a new government. Livni now has the option of forming a 60-MK narrow coalition with Labor, Meretz and the two pensioners parties and without Shas. Pensioners Party chairman Rafi Eitan had ruled out joining Livni's coalition if the three MKs who broke off from his party were included, but because they are joining as part of Labor, Eitan was not expected to object to them joining. However, on Sunday night, he did rule out sitting around the same cabinet table as his nemesis, Sharoni. Labor chairman Ehud Barak submitted the draft of a deal to Sharoni on Sunday. Sharoni's faction will convene in the coming days to approve it and to formally decide who will be the party's minister, but it is almost definite that it will be Sharoni. Asked why he deserves to be a minister if he only represents three MKs, Sharoni said: "True, we have only three MKs, but we are three important MKs."