The National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction in the Knesset decided today not to resign from the government. Its previous decision to resign nine days ago was rescinded when one of its two leaders, Minister Ze\'evi, was assassinated only hours before the resignation was to go into effect. At the time, Ze\'evi and his co-leader National Infrastructures Minister Avigdor Lieberman explained that the army\'s withdrawal from the Abu Sneineh and Haret A-Sheikh hills in Hevron was the \"last straw\" and that Sharon was not fighting a strong enough war against Arafat\'s terrorism. Today, however, Lieberman recommended that his colleagues not vote to quit the government.
When asked if the revelations about Prime Minister Sharon\'s plans for a Palestinian state would affect the decision to remain in the government, NUYB Knesset Member Yuri Stern said, \"Our goal at present is to get Sharon to adhere to his firm fight against the PA and the terrorism. When developments begin on the diplomatic scene, we will plan our strategy appropriately - but not now.\" The Yisrael Beiteinu party, headed by Minister Lieberman, has four MKs, giving the joint National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction a total of seven.
In wake of Gandhi\'s murder, the three-MK National Union faction, which encompasses Tekumah and Moledet, will undergo some changes. Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel (Tekumah) will be sworn in as a Member of Knesset on Monday; he joins his Tekumah colleague MK Tzvi Hendel. This leaves Benny Elon of Moledet as a minority of one in the faction. Despite this, Arutz-7 has learned that he is likely to be chosen as the replacement for Minister Ze\'evi in the government. The final decision will be made in the coming days.
The opposition National Religious Party has submitted a no-confidence motion in light of the government\'s apparent intention to quit the PA-controlled areas. The NRP calls the IDF offensive \"limited and ineffective.\" The motion can be withdrawn, NRP spokesmen said, any time before its scheduled vote this coming Monday.
When asked if the revelations about Prime Minister Sharon\'s plans for a Palestinian state would affect the decision to remain in the government, NUYB Knesset Member Yuri Stern said, \"Our goal at present is to get Sharon to adhere to his firm fight against the PA and the terrorism. When developments begin on the diplomatic scene, we will plan our strategy appropriately - but not now.\" The Yisrael Beiteinu party, headed by Minister Lieberman, has four MKs, giving the joint National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction a total of seven.
In wake of Gandhi\'s murder, the three-MK National Union faction, which encompasses Tekumah and Moledet, will undergo some changes. Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel (Tekumah) will be sworn in as a Member of Knesset on Monday; he joins his Tekumah colleague MK Tzvi Hendel. This leaves Benny Elon of Moledet as a minority of one in the faction. Despite this, Arutz-7 has learned that he is likely to be chosen as the replacement for Minister Ze\'evi in the government. The final decision will be made in the coming days.
The opposition National Religious Party has submitted a no-confidence motion in light of the government\'s apparent intention to quit the PA-controlled areas. The NRP calls the IDF offensive \"limited and ineffective.\" The motion can be withdrawn, NRP spokesmen said, any time before its scheduled vote this coming Monday.