Leader of the Israeli opposition Labor Party, Shimon Peres (AP)
Israel Votes on Gaza Story aired: Thursday, October 21, 2004
Tensions are rising in Israel ahead of next week's vote on a plan for withdrawal from Gaza and portions of the West Bank.
Yesterday, a longtime political ally of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered a major blow, accusing Sharon of betraying his own Likud Party. And earlier this week, Labor Party leader Shimon Peres warned that he fears Jewish extremists may try to assassinate Sharon as they did Yitshak Rabin in 1995.
Today, speaking on NPR's The Connection from our studios here in Boston, Peres played down the threat of civil war, and said the far-right would not derail the process.
