The National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction of the Knesset convened this morning, both to pay tribute to their leader Rehavam Ze\'evi - many of the MKs and their aides were openly teary-eyed - and also to decide whether to rescind the party\'s decision of two days ago to resign from the coalition. In the end, it was decided to remain in the government until the end of the seven-day mourning period, and then to decide on future moves based on the government\'s policies.
MK Benny Elon, number two on Ze\'evi\'s Moledet party list, read a chapter from what he called \"the Book of Books, the book that Gandhi lived and that which gives us the right to live in this land.\" He began with verses from David\'s elegy for the slain King Saul - \"How the mighty are fallen!\" - and continued emotionally with today\'s weekly Psalm of the Day, Psalm 94: \"O L-rd, G-d of vengeance; L-rd of vengeance, appear! Lift up Thyself, judge of the land, render to the arrogant their due. L-rd, how long shall the wicked triumph? ... They crush Thy people, they slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans... Fools, when will you be wise?\"
Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke, and said that though he knew him only for the past two years, \"he was an officer and a gentleman.\" Lieberman then continued, \"Something has happened in Israel. Just like Sept. 11 changed the world, this murder has changed the situation here in Israel. We cannot continue as if nothing happened. This is not the time or place to go into the details of the changes that will be made.\"
Later he said, \"I am sorry that we only discovered each other so late.\"
Lieberman later said that some \"very important decisions have already been made by the government today,\" but he would not elaborate. He himself participated in the security cabinet meeting, in place of his assassinated party colleague. The public aspects of the decisions included the return of the encirclement around Ramallah. It is suspected that the terrorists used the roads around Ramallah that had just been re-opened to enter Jerusalem and make their escape.
Prime Minister Sharon said shortly after hearing of the murder, \"A new era has begun.\"
MK Benny Elon, number two on Ze\'evi\'s Moledet party list, read a chapter from what he called \"the Book of Books, the book that Gandhi lived and that which gives us the right to live in this land.\" He began with verses from David\'s elegy for the slain King Saul - \"How the mighty are fallen!\" - and continued emotionally with today\'s weekly Psalm of the Day, Psalm 94: \"O L-rd, G-d of vengeance; L-rd of vengeance, appear! Lift up Thyself, judge of the land, render to the arrogant their due. L-rd, how long shall the wicked triumph? ... They crush Thy people, they slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the orphans... Fools, when will you be wise?\"
Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke, and said that though he knew him only for the past two years, \"he was an officer and a gentleman.\" Lieberman then continued, \"Something has happened in Israel. Just like Sept. 11 changed the world, this murder has changed the situation here in Israel. We cannot continue as if nothing happened. This is not the time or place to go into the details of the changes that will be made.\"
Later he said, \"I am sorry that we only discovered each other so late.\"
Lieberman later said that some \"very important decisions have already been made by the government today,\" but he would not elaborate. He himself participated in the security cabinet meeting, in place of his assassinated party colleague. The public aspects of the decisions included the return of the encirclement around Ramallah. It is suspected that the terrorists used the roads around Ramallah that had just been re-opened to enter Jerusalem and make their escape.
Prime Minister Sharon said shortly after hearing of the murder, \"A new era has begun.\"