But it is not certain that the four Likud ministers will quit the cabinet.  Netanyahu's decision is informed by the need to highlight Likud's ideological differences with Sharon's, new Kadima party.

Tel Aviv (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Cabinet ministers from Israel's Likud party will quit Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cabinet this Sunday, party leader Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. However, Israeli papers are reporting that all four (Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Health Minister Dany Naveh, Education Minister Limor Livnat, and Agriculture Minister Israel Katz) might not follow their leader's order. Yesterday in fact, all four said they were against resigning arguing that it would weaken their party's position in the campaign leading up to the March 28 campaign.

Shalom is also concerned that if he left former Labour leader Shimon Peres, who left Labour for Sharon's newly-created Kadima party, would take up his post.

With one third of its Knesset members joining Kadima, Likud's decision to quit the cabinet and join the ranks of the opposition after five years in government is seen as a way to highlights its ideological differences with the new party.

The resignations however won't affect Sharon's caretaker cabinet. His new party is expected to do well in the upcoming elections—surveys indicate that it might get as many as 40 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Likud, which until recently held 40, is credited with 15 seats.

• israel
• elections
• likud
• kadima
• resignation
• ministers
• ariel
• sharon
• benjamin
• netanyahu
• shimon
• peres