The Cabinet vote today passed almost unanimously; only Culture Minister Ophir Pines-Paz of Labor voted against. He tried to convince his party members on Sunday to bolt the coalition with the entry of Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu into the government, but Labor's Central Committee voted to stay put. The two parties are known to have diametrically opposed views on a variety of issues, but Labor decided to overcome these problems and remain in the coalition. Many commentators decried the "lack of ideological spine" expressed by Labor's decision.
The two ministers of the Pensioners Party, who said yesterday they would oppose Lieberman's entry, voted in favor today.
Lieberman's ministerial appointment must now be approved in the Knesset, which will happen this evening (Sunday).
Putting an end to a day of speculation, Minister Pines-Paz announced his resignation from the government at 5 PM Sunday afternoon.
Lieberman's ministerial position is a new one, created to satisfy Pime Minister Ehud Olmert’s need to include him in the cabinet while not taking authorities from the other coalition partners - Labor, the Retirees Party, and Shas.
Lieberman has been outspoken in emphasizing the critical nature of the Iranian threat against Israel, and his portfolio will deal mainly with Israel's preparations in this connection.
Labor, for its part, emerged from the latest coalition machinations with yet another appointment - that of MK Dr. Ephraim Sneh as deputy defense minister, the government's first deputy minister. Olmert also appointed Labor Party leader Defense Minister Amir Peretz as chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Arab Affairs.
The appointment of the controversial leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party is the result of a coalition agreement signed last week between Prime Minister Olmert and Lieberman. The introduction of the party into the ruling coalition will strengthen Olmert’s shaky coalition by bringing an additional 11 mandates to the government, providing Olmert with a comfortable Knesset majority of 77.
The inclusion of Lieberman has sparked much controversy among both coalition and opposition members.
Minister Pines, who appeared to enjoy broad support at the Labor convention yesterday for his opposition to sitting together with Yisrael Beiteinu, in the end lost by a large margin in the open vote. He has hinted that he might resign from the Cabinet rather than sit with Lieberman, but has so far given no word on what his final decision will be. Pines is considered a leading candidate to succeed Peretz as party chairman.
Most Labor leaders opted to back party leader Amir Peretz and not Pines. Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, for instance, said that Labor would not be able to serve its voters from the opposition and therefore must remain in the coalition under nearly all circumstances.
Arab legislators were angered by the deal, saying Olmert has introduced racist policies into the government. Lieberman is known for his hard-line policies vis-?-vis the Arabs and the ongoing war against terror.
Lieberman favors Israel relinquishing control of the area known as the Triangle, a primarily Israeli-Arab area in the southern Galilee, in exchange for Israel's annexation of most of Judea and Samaria, home to many Jewish communities.
Lieberman’s price for joining the coalition was Olmert’s support - on the governmental level - for his bill calling for government reform. Lieberman feels that the only hope for future stability in government is a change in the system of rule to a Presidential system with direct prime ministerial elections and fewer tiny parties. Olmert supported the bill on a Cabinet level, but has said that he himself would not vote for such a law in the Knesset - and in fact the bill seems to have no chance of passing in the legislature.
The two ministers of the Pensioners Party, who said yesterday they would oppose Lieberman's entry, voted in favor today.
Lieberman's ministerial appointment must now be approved in the Knesset, which will happen this evening (Sunday).
Putting an end to a day of speculation, Minister Pines-Paz announced his resignation from the government at 5 PM Sunday afternoon.
Lieberman's ministerial position is a new one, created to satisfy Pime Minister Ehud Olmert’s need to include him in the cabinet while not taking authorities from the other coalition partners - Labor, the Retirees Party, and Shas.
Lieberman has been outspoken in emphasizing the critical nature of the Iranian threat against Israel, and his portfolio will deal mainly with Israel's preparations in this connection.
Labor, for its part, emerged from the latest coalition machinations with yet another appointment - that of MK Dr. Ephraim Sneh as deputy defense minister, the government's first deputy minister. Olmert also appointed Labor Party leader Defense Minister Amir Peretz as chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Arab Affairs.
The appointment of the controversial leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party is the result of a coalition agreement signed last week between Prime Minister Olmert and Lieberman. The introduction of the party into the ruling coalition will strengthen Olmert’s shaky coalition by bringing an additional 11 mandates to the government, providing Olmert with a comfortable Knesset majority of 77.
The inclusion of Lieberman has sparked much controversy among both coalition and opposition members.
Minister Pines, who appeared to enjoy broad support at the Labor convention yesterday for his opposition to sitting together with Yisrael Beiteinu, in the end lost by a large margin in the open vote. He has hinted that he might resign from the Cabinet rather than sit with Lieberman, but has so far given no word on what his final decision will be. Pines is considered a leading candidate to succeed Peretz as party chairman.
Most Labor leaders opted to back party leader Amir Peretz and not Pines. Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, for instance, said that Labor would not be able to serve its voters from the opposition and therefore must remain in the coalition under nearly all circumstances.
Arab legislators were angered by the deal, saying Olmert has introduced racist policies into the government. Lieberman is known for his hard-line policies vis-?-vis the Arabs and the ongoing war against terror.
Lieberman favors Israel relinquishing control of the area known as the Triangle, a primarily Israeli-Arab area in the southern Galilee, in exchange for Israel's annexation of most of Judea and Samaria, home to many Jewish communities.
Lieberman’s price for joining the coalition was Olmert’s support - on the governmental level - for his bill calling for government reform. Lieberman feels that the only hope for future stability in government is a change in the system of rule to a Presidential system with direct prime ministerial elections and fewer tiny parties. Olmert supported the bill on a Cabinet level, but has said that he himself would not vote for such a law in the Knesset - and in fact the bill seems to have no chance of passing in the legislature.