MK Rivlin, one of the 12 remaining Likud Knesset Members, said this morning, "The policy and guidelines of this government should be a red light not only in Israel, but also in the United States, Britain and Europe."
Rivlin and Olmert have had their differences before. When Olmert, whose parents were followers of Menachem Begin's teacher Ze'ev Jabotinsky, became one of the first to support Ariel Sharon's Disengagement plan, Rivlin expressed disgust at Olmert's turnabout, saying it reminded him of his hareidi-turned-secular cousins: "When they became not religious, they went all the way - not only driving on the Sabbath, but also eating pig." More recently, Rivlin wrote that his former party colleague Olmert is "a man who has proven that everything is justified in order to attain power. He is a man 'who has no god,' a man who has left our camp many times and then returned whenever the regime fell and provided him with new opportunities. We must remind the public how dangerous it would be to abandon the leadership of the country to his hands."
Coalition negotiations between Kadima and Shas leaders resume today, after a meeting last night between party representatives did not yield significant progress. The contested issues are several: How many ministries will be given to Shas and what will their authorities include? Will child allowance payments be increased or merely not cut? Will Jewish law continue to regulate marriage in Israel? Will more Jewish communities be uprooted?
Shas leader Eli Yishai has reportedly told several people that he will not sign an agreement that includes the uprooting of Jewish communities. This contrasts with the guidelines formulated for Labor's coalition agreement with Kadima, which specifically call for the "reduction of Jewish settlement areas in Judea and Samaria" and the "setting of new borders."
A senior Shas member was quoted today as saying, "The formulation of the agreement with Shas will not be the same as that with Labor. The topic of 'convergence' [the name of Ehud Olmert's planned unilateral plan to withdraw from Judea and Samaria and uproot tens of thousands of Jewish residents - ed.] will be softer and less blatant."
Asked about the significance of two different sets of coalition guidelines, Shas spokesman Ro'i Lachmanovitch told Arutz-7, "I do not want to comment on anything having to do with the coalition negotiations until they are completed."
Sources in the other hareidi party, United Torah Judaism, are strongly critical of their Shas colleagues for signing an agreement without having resolved the religious issues. UTJ appears to be miffed at Shas for joining the coalition independently of it. A Shas official said that the matter of civil marriages will be approved by the party only if Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar agrees, and reminds UTJ that it itself joined the Sharon government a year ago independently of Shas.
Meanwhile, the Yisrael Beiteinu party appears to be headed for the opposition. Party leader Avigdor Lieberman (pictured above) has been denied, by decision of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, the option of becoming Minister of Public Security - but Lieberman says that someone else in his party should receive the post. "It cannot be that an entire movement [party] would be disqualified from receiving this post," he said today at a press conference.
Asked how he, a Land of Israel loyalist, could consider joining a government that wants to uproot Jewish communities, Lieberman said, "Not one community will be uprooted. There are many reasons for this, including security and diplomatic. Even just from the economic point of view, those who want to uproot must admit that in light of how much it cost in Gush Katif, such a plan cannot be considered again."
Lieberman said that in light of the difficulties within Kadima's senior coalition partner, Labor, "Olmert should consider again what's best for his government - a Labor party that is divided and may even split up, or a strong Yisrael Beiteinu. The 19 Labor MKs are at best 12, compared to our 11 which are very strong and loyal... The voter made his opinion known in the last elections that he wants a center-right government, comprising Kadima, the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and the hareidi-religious parties, and that's the government that Olmert should form."
Rivlin and Olmert have had their differences before. When Olmert, whose parents were followers of Menachem Begin's teacher Ze'ev Jabotinsky, became one of the first to support Ariel Sharon's Disengagement plan, Rivlin expressed disgust at Olmert's turnabout, saying it reminded him of his hareidi-turned-secular cousins: "When they became not religious, they went all the way - not only driving on the Sabbath, but also eating pig." More recently, Rivlin wrote that his former party colleague Olmert is "a man who has proven that everything is justified in order to attain power. He is a man 'who has no god,' a man who has left our camp many times and then returned whenever the regime fell and provided him with new opportunities. We must remind the public how dangerous it would be to abandon the leadership of the country to his hands."
Coalition negotiations between Kadima and Shas leaders resume today, after a meeting last night between party representatives did not yield significant progress. The contested issues are several: How many ministries will be given to Shas and what will their authorities include? Will child allowance payments be increased or merely not cut? Will Jewish law continue to regulate marriage in Israel? Will more Jewish communities be uprooted?
Shas leader Eli Yishai has reportedly told several people that he will not sign an agreement that includes the uprooting of Jewish communities. This contrasts with the guidelines formulated for Labor's coalition agreement with Kadima, which specifically call for the "reduction of Jewish settlement areas in Judea and Samaria" and the "setting of new borders."
A senior Shas member was quoted today as saying, "The formulation of the agreement with Shas will not be the same as that with Labor. The topic of 'convergence' [the name of Ehud Olmert's planned unilateral plan to withdraw from Judea and Samaria and uproot tens of thousands of Jewish residents - ed.] will be softer and less blatant."
Asked about the significance of two different sets of coalition guidelines, Shas spokesman Ro'i Lachmanovitch told Arutz-7, "I do not want to comment on anything having to do with the coalition negotiations until they are completed."
Sources in the other hareidi party, United Torah Judaism, are strongly critical of their Shas colleagues for signing an agreement without having resolved the religious issues. UTJ appears to be miffed at Shas for joining the coalition independently of it. A Shas official said that the matter of civil marriages will be approved by the party only if Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar agrees, and reminds UTJ that it itself joined the Sharon government a year ago independently of Shas.
Meanwhile, the Yisrael Beiteinu party appears to be headed for the opposition. Party leader Avigdor Lieberman (pictured above) has been denied, by decision of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, the option of becoming Minister of Public Security - but Lieberman says that someone else in his party should receive the post. "It cannot be that an entire movement [party] would be disqualified from receiving this post," he said today at a press conference.
Asked how he, a Land of Israel loyalist, could consider joining a government that wants to uproot Jewish communities, Lieberman said, "Not one community will be uprooted. There are many reasons for this, including security and diplomatic. Even just from the economic point of view, those who want to uproot must admit that in light of how much it cost in Gush Katif, such a plan cannot be considered again."
Lieberman said that in light of the difficulties within Kadima's senior coalition partner, Labor, "Olmert should consider again what's best for his government - a Labor party that is divided and may even split up, or a strong Yisrael Beiteinu. The 19 Labor MKs are at best 12, compared to our 11 which are very strong and loyal... The voter made his opinion known in the last elections that he wants a center-right government, comprising Kadima, the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu and the hareidi-religious parties, and that's the government that Olmert should form."