Despite last-gasp efforts by Minister Ophir Pines-Paz (pictured) and MK Shelly Yechimovitch, the Central Committee members of the Labor Party are not expected to cause a coalition crisis with Prime Minister Olmert's Kadima party over the entry of Yisrael Beiteinu into the coalition. Yisrael Beiteinu and Labor have very different ideological stances on several critical issues currently facing Israel. Lieberman is decidedly against unilateral withdrawals and the destruction of Jewish outposts in Judea and Samaria, and feels that the Israeli-Arab public is a fifth column in Israeli society.
Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz, Israel's Defense Minister in the Olmert government, has changed his stance over the past two weeks. He started out in total opposition to Lieberman, and is now totally, though begrudgingly, accepting of Lieberman's inclusion in the government. Peretz has called upon his party membership to approve the move.
Other Labor ministers have also come around, in one way or another. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said this morning, "There is no chance that we should [vote against accepting Lieberman and] leave the coalition. We must serve the voters; they're tired of this business and they want us to start serving them - which we cannot do from the opposition."
Minister Pines, on the other hand, says that he is convinced that if Labor votes against Lieberman, "Olmert will be forced to choose between us and Yisrael Beiteinu - and he will choose us." Labor has 19 MKs, and Yisrael Beiteinu - only 11.
Minister Eitan Cabel also opposes the inclusion of Lieberman, and plans to vote against it today - but said he would not resign if the party decides otherwise.
MK Yechimovich, a freshman Knesset Member who surprised the country a year ago by leaving a successful and controversial career as an opinionated journalist on public radio, says, "With Lieberman in the government, we have no choice but to quit. To remain in the government with Lieberman is not only not serving our voters, but is essentially closing off any possibility of doing anything - there will be no diplomatic process, and the like."
Yechimovich sent text messages to the Labor Committee members, asking them to come today and vote against accepting Lieberman into the coalition. She said that many senior party members are against sitting together with Lieberman, "but they are tired of all these games already. To them especially I say, come and vote against."
Minister Pines implied this morning that he would resign if the party votes to accept Lieberman. Asked by Army Radio's Rafi Reshef why he does not announce now that he will resign if the party votes to accept Lieberman, Pines-Paz said he doesn't want to threaten the party. Pines-Paz is considered a leading candidate to succeed Peretz as the next Labor Party leader.
Over the past 11 years, Labor has been led by Yitzchak Rabin, Shimon Peres (more than once), Ehud Barak, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Amram Mitzna, and now Peretz.
The Cabinet has not yet been asked to approve Lieberman's entry into the coalition, pending Labor's decision. The Pensioners Party, which has two ministers in the Cabinet, has already decided to object to Lieberman's inclusion, though their votes will not make a difference. The four Shas Party ministers, and of course those of Kadima, will vote in favor.
No Confidence in Peretz
Long-time Labor member Ronen Tzur, who formerly served as chairman of the party's youth wing, told Arutz-7 Hebrew Radio that Peretz had "betrayed his voters" by agreeing to include Lieberman and by giving up the social struggle.
"I have no confidence in the party's current leadership," Tzur said. "It is not leading us to what it promised before the election. I was a campaign manager of Amir Peretz for party leader when he set the goal of repairing the social situation in Israel that had brought the country to the verge of social collapse. I had anticipated that he would take ministerial portfolios such as Finance and Welfare... He betrayed our trust."
"These political machinations have been tried in the past by young Prime Ministers who thought that a particular political constellation would win them [a long-lasting government], but after just a few months their governments fell apart - and that's what will happen here as well. It happened with [former Labor Party Prime Minister Ehud] Barak and his coalition with Shas - it was said that this was sheer genius, but after a few weeks, the brilliant move fell apart."
Expressing optimism that the party might support his position today, Tzur admitted that the situation is awkward for Labor - and for Lieberman as well: "I admire Lieberman personally very much, even if I don't agree with him, and I don't understand why he agreed to sit in the same government as Labor, with which he has no common denominator. He is an honest man who takes a consistent path and speaks straight - but what he represents has no common basis with the Labor Party."
Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz, Israel's Defense Minister in the Olmert government, has changed his stance over the past two weeks. He started out in total opposition to Lieberman, and is now totally, though begrudgingly, accepting of Lieberman's inclusion in the government. Peretz has called upon his party membership to approve the move.
Other Labor ministers have also come around, in one way or another. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said this morning, "There is no chance that we should [vote against accepting Lieberman and] leave the coalition. We must serve the voters; they're tired of this business and they want us to start serving them - which we cannot do from the opposition."
Minister Pines, on the other hand, says that he is convinced that if Labor votes against Lieberman, "Olmert will be forced to choose between us and Yisrael Beiteinu - and he will choose us." Labor has 19 MKs, and Yisrael Beiteinu - only 11.
Minister Eitan Cabel also opposes the inclusion of Lieberman, and plans to vote against it today - but said he would not resign if the party decides otherwise.
MK Yechimovich, a freshman Knesset Member who surprised the country a year ago by leaving a successful and controversial career as an opinionated journalist on public radio, says, "With Lieberman in the government, we have no choice but to quit. To remain in the government with Lieberman is not only not serving our voters, but is essentially closing off any possibility of doing anything - there will be no diplomatic process, and the like."
Yechimovich sent text messages to the Labor Committee members, asking them to come today and vote against accepting Lieberman into the coalition. She said that many senior party members are against sitting together with Lieberman, "but they are tired of all these games already. To them especially I say, come and vote against."
Minister Pines implied this morning that he would resign if the party votes to accept Lieberman. Asked by Army Radio's Rafi Reshef why he does not announce now that he will resign if the party votes to accept Lieberman, Pines-Paz said he doesn't want to threaten the party. Pines-Paz is considered a leading candidate to succeed Peretz as the next Labor Party leader.
Over the past 11 years, Labor has been led by Yitzchak Rabin, Shimon Peres (more than once), Ehud Barak, Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Amram Mitzna, and now Peretz.
The Cabinet has not yet been asked to approve Lieberman's entry into the coalition, pending Labor's decision. The Pensioners Party, which has two ministers in the Cabinet, has already decided to object to Lieberman's inclusion, though their votes will not make a difference. The four Shas Party ministers, and of course those of Kadima, will vote in favor.
No Confidence in Peretz
Long-time Labor member Ronen Tzur, who formerly served as chairman of the party's youth wing, told Arutz-7 Hebrew Radio that Peretz had "betrayed his voters" by agreeing to include Lieberman and by giving up the social struggle.
"I have no confidence in the party's current leadership," Tzur said. "It is not leading us to what it promised before the election. I was a campaign manager of Amir Peretz for party leader when he set the goal of repairing the social situation in Israel that had brought the country to the verge of social collapse. I had anticipated that he would take ministerial portfolios such as Finance and Welfare... He betrayed our trust."
"These political machinations have been tried in the past by young Prime Ministers who thought that a particular political constellation would win them [a long-lasting government], but after just a few months their governments fell apart - and that's what will happen here as well. It happened with [former Labor Party Prime Minister Ehud] Barak and his coalition with Shas - it was said that this was sheer genius, but after a few weeks, the brilliant move fell apart."
Expressing optimism that the party might support his position today, Tzur admitted that the situation is awkward for Labor - and for Lieberman as well: "I admire Lieberman personally very much, even if I don't agree with him, and I don't understand why he agreed to sit in the same government as Labor, with which he has no common denominator. He is an honest man who takes a consistent path and speaks straight - but what he represents has no common basis with the Labor Party."