Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon walked out of a Likud Central Committee meeting Sunday night when opponents "sabotaged" the microphone system as he was about to make his speech, local newspaper Ha'aretz reported.

A Likud spokesman was quoted as saying that Sharon's opponents poured a bucket of water on the electrical system hooked up to the microphone, calling it "sabotage".

Earlier, Public Television also reported that Sharon walked out of his Likud party's crunch convention after the power to his microphone was repeatedly cut to prevent him from making a key address.

Someone outside the convention center in Tel Aviv had deliberately short-circuited the power system after a speech by former premier Benjamin Netanyahu who is trying to oust Sharon from the helm of the right-wing party, said the report.

Earlier at the convention, former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Sharon of having betrayed the path of the hardline party by pullout out of Gaza settlements.

Sharon was trying to beat back a leadership challenge by Netanyahu at the convention, but what appeared to be intentional electricity cuts repeatedly prevented him from speaking.

The Likud Central Committee members convened Sunday night at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds to debate a proposal to advance the date of the Likud leadership primaries, a move generally seen as favoring Sharon rival Benjamin Netanyahu.

The committee will vote on the issue Monday.

At the beginning of the Sunday night meeting, Netanyahu told the committee members that whoever wants to leave the party should do so now.

The comments appeared to be a reference to Sharon, whose aides have insinuated in recent weeks that he may retire from the Likud and form a new party should the motion to hold early primaries be approved.

Netanyahu also urged central committee members to vote in favor of moving up the date of the party primaries to show they are not members of a left-wing party.

Uzi Landau, another contender for the chairmanship and who led the anti-disengagement Likud rebels, called on central committee members to vote in favor of advancing the date of the party primaries and said the party could not lose more ground than it already had under Sharon.

Landau rejected the argument that a vote for early elections would destroy the party.

"Whoever says the Likud is in power is deceiving himself," he said. "The Likud is not in power because all its basic positions have been violated."

Education Minister Limor Livnat also said she favors advancing the date of the party primaries and called on Sharon to encourage settlement construction.

Sources close to Sharon said they feared the recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip could tilt Monday's vote on whether to advance the date of the Likud leadership primaries.

According to weekend polls, Netanyahu, who is in favor of early primaries, had a slight edge on Sharon.

Source: Xinhua