The vote was to have taken place today (Thursday) in the Knesset Finance Committee. It was already pushed off once this week, when the coalition saw that it did not have a majority in favor of nearly across-the-board budget cuts to help pay for the war in Lebanon.
Labor MK Avishai Braverman said he could not "vote against my conscience," while MK Orit Noked similarly said that the cuts would slice too deeply into the pockets of lower-class workers. As a result, coalition whip MK Avigdor Yitzchaki said he would recommend to Prime Minister Olmert to begin looking for coalition partners to replace Labor.
Labor then held an emergency meeting last night, at which it was decided, by an 11-3 vote, that all party MKs must adhere to the coalition line and vote in favor. The three who voted against were Finance Committee members Noked, Braverman and Shelly Yechimovitch - the latter two of whom said they would not follow the party's decision. They then later agreed to a suggestion by party leader Defense Minister Amir Peretz to meet first with Finance Minister Avraham Hirschsohn about the proposed cuts.
Peretz, who finds himself not doing well in this test of leadership, told his party colleagues that the issue is whether or not the party wishes to remain in the coalition. Braverman disagreed, saying the party should remain in the coalition while remaining true to its voters, and that money could be found elsewhere in the State coffers to pay for the war.
Yechimovitch said that Labor has "forgotten the principles on which it was elected... The Finance Committee will not be a rubber stamp for mistaken decisions made in closed forums in a careless manner."
Both Braverman and Yechimovitch joined Labor last year as strong admirers of Peretz.
Other Labor leaders, such as Ministers Ophir Pines and Shalom Simchon, say the party members must "follow the rules" and "work as a team."
As of now, Committee Chairman Avraham Litzman (United Torah Judaism) has agreed to postpone the vote until next Monday, but says this will be the last postponement. Peretz is likely to replace both of the rebellious committee members with other party MKs, but analysts say this will merely delay both the coalition crisis and the Labor leadership crisis for a short time.
The Pensioners Party, too, is threatening not to vote for the budget cuts. However, Kadima is not taking the threat seriously. Coalition whip MK Avigdor Yitzchaki (Kadima) said today that the Pensioners also want to show they're in the game, but that in the end, as in the past, they will vote with the coalition.
Labor MK Avishai Braverman said he could not "vote against my conscience," while MK Orit Noked similarly said that the cuts would slice too deeply into the pockets of lower-class workers. As a result, coalition whip MK Avigdor Yitzchaki said he would recommend to Prime Minister Olmert to begin looking for coalition partners to replace Labor.
Labor then held an emergency meeting last night, at which it was decided, by an 11-3 vote, that all party MKs must adhere to the coalition line and vote in favor. The three who voted against were Finance Committee members Noked, Braverman and Shelly Yechimovitch - the latter two of whom said they would not follow the party's decision. They then later agreed to a suggestion by party leader Defense Minister Amir Peretz to meet first with Finance Minister Avraham Hirschsohn about the proposed cuts.
Peretz, who finds himself not doing well in this test of leadership, told his party colleagues that the issue is whether or not the party wishes to remain in the coalition. Braverman disagreed, saying the party should remain in the coalition while remaining true to its voters, and that money could be found elsewhere in the State coffers to pay for the war.
Yechimovitch said that Labor has "forgotten the principles on which it was elected... The Finance Committee will not be a rubber stamp for mistaken decisions made in closed forums in a careless manner."
Both Braverman and Yechimovitch joined Labor last year as strong admirers of Peretz.
Other Labor leaders, such as Ministers Ophir Pines and Shalom Simchon, say the party members must "follow the rules" and "work as a team."
As of now, Committee Chairman Avraham Litzman (United Torah Judaism) has agreed to postpone the vote until next Monday, but says this will be the last postponement. Peretz is likely to replace both of the rebellious committee members with other party MKs, but analysts say this will merely delay both the coalition crisis and the Labor leadership crisis for a short time.
The Pensioners Party, too, is threatening not to vote for the budget cuts. However, Kadima is not taking the threat seriously. Coalition whip MK Avigdor Yitzchaki (Kadima) said today that the Pensioners also want to show they're in the game, but that in the end, as in the past, they will vote with the coalition.