Public Security Minister Uzi Landau held a dramatic press conference this afternoon, at which some thought he might follow the lead of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu (NUYB) and quit the government. He did not, however, and instead called on the resigning party to retract their letters of resignation and to \"help wage our struggle from within.\" Landau expressed enthusiastic support for the unity government, and even called upon the National Religious Party (NRP) to join.
MK Sha\'ul Yahalom (NRP) told Arutz-7 today that that his party would not do so. Yahalom said he stands by his statement of ten days ago that if NUYB quits for political reasons, the NRP would not take its place. \"And if Sharon calls and invites you to join, what would you say?\" asked Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal. Yahalom:
\"I think it would be childish of Sharon to do so, since he knows that we have been pushing NUYB to quit... We have no wish to have anything to do with Sharon\'s wishy-washy policy of being firm one day and then giving in the next day, one day meeting with Arafat and one day not meeting with him - the truth must be said clearly that we have nothing to do with this policy.\" He stopped short, however, of calling for the toppling of Sharon: \"If Sharon takes a strong stand from now on and causes Peres and Labor to quit the government, then of course we would be willing to join a right-wing government headed by Sharon - even though it\'s no great honor to be with him these days, what with the police investigation against his campaign [of 1999], and with him and his son waging a policy that is either outright left-wing or at best is a surrender to the left, and with Peres running the government...\"
NRP party leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy said that he would seek to form a united front with NUYB to present an alternative to Oslo.
Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) was asked today if, despite Shas\' objections to the Abu Sneineh withdrawal and other recent government moves, \"do you think that National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu made a mistake by quitting?\" Benizri:
\"The first mistake was made by the NRP when they didn\'t know how to push strongly enough to get into the government and thus give more power to the right wing. Now National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu is continuing the mistake... The Eretz Yisrael camp will not be strong enough in the government now, and the influence of Peres and Labor will grow... They [Lieberman and Ze\'evi] have left Sharon much weakened...\"
The Knesset\'s winter session opened this afternoon with a speech by Prime Minister Sharon, followed by a rejoinder by MK Yossi Sarid, the leader of Meretz, the largest opposition party. Sarid attacked both Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu. The Knesset is scheduled to vote today on four no-confidence motions in the government, presented from both left and right.
MK Sha\'ul Yahalom (NRP) told Arutz-7 today that that his party would not do so. Yahalom said he stands by his statement of ten days ago that if NUYB quits for political reasons, the NRP would not take its place. \"And if Sharon calls and invites you to join, what would you say?\" asked Arutz-7\'s Haggai Segal. Yahalom:
\"I think it would be childish of Sharon to do so, since he knows that we have been pushing NUYB to quit... We have no wish to have anything to do with Sharon\'s wishy-washy policy of being firm one day and then giving in the next day, one day meeting with Arafat and one day not meeting with him - the truth must be said clearly that we have nothing to do with this policy.\" He stopped short, however, of calling for the toppling of Sharon: \"If Sharon takes a strong stand from now on and causes Peres and Labor to quit the government, then of course we would be willing to join a right-wing government headed by Sharon - even though it\'s no great honor to be with him these days, what with the police investigation against his campaign [of 1999], and with him and his son waging a policy that is either outright left-wing or at best is a surrender to the left, and with Peres running the government...\"
NRP party leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy said that he would seek to form a united front with NUYB to present an alternative to Oslo.
Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) was asked today if, despite Shas\' objections to the Abu Sneineh withdrawal and other recent government moves, \"do you think that National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu made a mistake by quitting?\" Benizri:
\"The first mistake was made by the NRP when they didn\'t know how to push strongly enough to get into the government and thus give more power to the right wing. Now National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu is continuing the mistake... The Eretz Yisrael camp will not be strong enough in the government now, and the influence of Peres and Labor will grow... They [Lieberman and Ze\'evi] have left Sharon much weakened...\"
The Knesset\'s winter session opened this afternoon with a speech by Prime Minister Sharon, followed by a rejoinder by MK Yossi Sarid, the leader of Meretz, the largest opposition party. Sarid attacked both Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu. The Knesset is scheduled to vote today on four no-confidence motions in the government, presented from both left and right.