Senior Labor Party members increasingly favor quitting the coalition in the near future - and the final straw appears to have been Prime Minister Sharon\'s angry declaration yesterday that he will not even consider the dismantling of any communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Minister Cohen asked Sharon at yesterday\'s Cabinet meeting why he does not take under consideration recommendations by some military officials to dismantle isolated settlements. In response, Sharon banged on the table and said, \"As long as I am Prime Minister, I will not preside over any Cabinet meeting that discusses the dismantlement of any Yesha community, even the isolated ones.\" Cohen later told Israel Radio that his party is in the minority within the coalition, can no longer contribute to government policy, \"and will hopefully decide at the convention next month to quit the government.\"
On the other side of the political spectrum, Sharon\'s comments were greeted quite happily. Yesha Council head and Shomron Regional Council head Bentzy Lieberman told Arutz-7 today,
\"We think that this declaration is a historic one, of great importance in the war that we are currently engaged in against the PA. It was correct from three standpoints: In terms of our national history and religious/cultural values... Tactically as well, it makes clear to the Palestinians that if they think their violence will cause us to give in, they should know that it merely strengthens us. And third, from the humanistic and ethical standpoint: people have been living here in Yesha under total uncertainty, not sure if they should repair their houses, serving as a punching bag for every minor minister who doesn\'t even know how to spell the communities\' names, etc.... It will also help people who are hesitating whether or not to move here… I think, however, that Prime Minister Sharon must now also take back his previous statements of support for a Palestinian state, which stand in contradiction to yesterday\'s statement. I hope [this] will occur at the Likud convention next month...\"