Quds city, Oct 11, SPA -- Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has alienated his right-wing Likud party with plans to withdraw from Gaza, begins a new legislative session Monday fighting for his government's survival. Lawmakers were scheduled to vote on two motions of no confidence Monday, the first day of Israel's winter parliamentary session. Sharon was expected to survive the votes with help from the moderate Labor Party, which is not in the coalition but supports the Gaza disengagement plan. But Labor said it would not necessarily support Sharon on other fronts, such as domestic policy. "There is no longer an automatic safety net," Labor legislator Dalia Itzik told Israel's Channel Two TV. Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with its offensive in northern Gaza. On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes killed two Palestinian fighters. The Gaza withdrawal was expected to be the cornerstone of Sharon's speech to parliament Monday, the traditional address by the prime minister to open the session. Facing protests from the opposition and members of his own party, the Associated Press quoted some lawmakers as saying it was unlikely Sharon's government would complete its term, due to expire in November 2006. "I don't see this government running the distance," Parliament speaker Ruby Rivlin told Israel's Army Radio Sunday.
