QUDS CITY, Dec 19, SPA -- Israel's Likud party began voting for a new leader on Monday to rebuild the long-dominant rightist faction left shattered by the defection of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The two main contenders are frontrunner Benjamin Netanyahu, a former prime minister and finance minister under Sharon, and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, seen as more flexible on possible peacemaking with the Palestinians. Likud's leadership vote was overshadowed in Israel by Sharon's admission to hospital late on Sunday with a minor stroke, Reuters reported. Voting by Likud's 128,000 members began in polling centers across Israel. It will end at 10 p.m. (2000 GMT) local time when the ballots will be counted. Results are expected after midnight. The four candidates also include Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz and far-right leader Moshe Feiglin. If no candidate wins more than 40 percent of the vote, there will be a runoff between the top two candidates.
