Rabin finds formula to heal coalition rift

Divisions within Israel's Labour-led coalition government were successfully healed last night, ending a month of instability which has raised questions about the future of the Middle East peace process, Sarah Helm reports from Jerusalem. Yitzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister, produced a formula to keep both Shas, the religious party, and Meretz, the left-wing secular party, within the coalition. Shas had threatened to leave it for good unless the outspoken Education minister, Shulamit Aloni of Meretz, was sacked. Under the deal announced yesterday, Mrs Aloni is to be moved from Education to take a lower-profile ministerial position.