Israel's Central Election Committee (CEC) will meet on Saturday to discuss its decision to cut short a broadcast by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Israel Radio has reported.

The embattled Mr Sharon was defending himself and his family against allegations of corruption in the live television speech on Thursday night.

Committee head Mishael Cheshin took the unprecedented step of ordering the broadcast stopped when he judged that Mr Sharon's comments became overtly political.

We have to stop broadcasting the speech immediately as the prime minister's comments amount to campaigning for the election

Israel Army Radio

Israeli political commentator Nahum Barnea said the blackout will go down in history.

"Shutting the microphone off on a prime minister can be called an historic incident," the Associated Press quoted him as writing in the daily Yediot Ahronot.

"His news conference yesterday will be remembered mostly because it wasn't broadcast."

Popularity plunge

The live broadcast was abruptly cut off early in Mr Sharon's speech, although he continued to deliver it. more

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003