News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) U.S. President George Bush joked with Shas chairman Eli Yishai as soon as he got off his plane Wednesday, about Shas' threats to leave the coalition.

According to Nrg, as he shook Yishai's hand on the tarmac, Bush told the minister (roughly): "So I understand that you are the one I have to convince not to leave the coalition?" Bush reportedly promised Yishai: "Tomorrow we will have a long, intensive talk in the course of which I will try to convince you not to leave the government, despite the planned evacuation of the outposts in the Territories [Judea and Samaria, ed.]."