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Israel’s newly re-elected prime minister, Ariel Sharon, sent out feelers Wednesday for possible coalition partners among political parties often at odds in the Jewish state.
Sharon, a tough-talking former general, rode a national wave of rage at Palestinian violence in a 28-month-old uprising to win general elections Tuesday. His hawkish Likud party took 37 of the 120 seats in Israel’s Knesset, or parliament.
Yet pickings may prove slim for the 74-year-old known as the “bulldozer” for his physical heft and political drive.
Israel’s center-left Labor party, which retained its runner-up position despite dropping from 25 to 19 Knesset seats, has ruled out joining a Likud-led government.
