Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon attends a meeting in an army base near Jerusalem.Sharon has managed to stitch together a new coalition, which will give him the numbers to go ahead with his pullout plan.(AFP photo)

    BEIJING, Jan. 6 -- Sharon has managed to stitch together a new coalition, which will give him the numbers to go ahead with his pullout plan.

    After months in minority government, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has managed to stitch together a new coalition, which will give him the numbers to go ahead with his controversial plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.

    The new coalition means Sharon will also avoid being forced to early elections.

    Sharon will once again lead a majority government, thanks to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious party, which agreed to join his coalition.

    But the United Torah Judaism party says it will review its decision to be part of the government in three months'time.

    Sharon had threatened to call early elections if he could not form a majority coalition. Enditem

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)