Finance Minister Silvan Shalom (Likud): \"I could have passed the bill last night with a large majority - if I would have made narrow political considerations. But I didn\'t give in to the political blackmail. Not only that, but there were some MKs who were there but didn\'t vote... This [budget-cutting] plan has a fair distribution of the burden. Everyone says that they agree with 80% of the plan, but because of the 10% or 20% that they don\'t agree with, they have to vote against. These are narrow sectarian interests… The simple basics of normative government are that when the Cabinet makes a decision, every minister must support it.\"
Interior Minister Eli Yeshai (Shas): \"Elections at this time are not good for the economy… But it\'s all up to Sharon: he will decide if there are new elections, a narrow government, whatever… This is not just an exercise in arm-twisting, but rather a question of principles. There are people who will lose their daily bread if this plan goes through... If Sharon wants new elections, he is welcome.\"
Health Minister Nissim Dahan (Shas) said that his party had no choice but to vote against the bill, \"because otherwise we would have seen thousands of more people thrown into poverty, and thousands of homeless on the streets - Israel would become Biafra and Argentina in one.\"
Deputy Education Minister Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism), another of the fired officials: \"This unwise act by the Prime Minister is the result of the Finance Minister\'s war against the poor families.\"
MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) had criticism of Finance Minister Shalom from another angle: \"Why did he raise a proposal when it was clear that it would not pass? He should have spoken to his coalition partners beforehand in order to [verify the situation].\"
MK Tommy Lapid, leader of anti-hareidi Shinui party: \"I don\'t believe that Shas will leave the coalition, but [if I\'m wrong], we would be ready to join under certain conditions... A government with 80 MKs that can\'t pass budget cuts is rotten from the inside and should be replaced…\"
Labor MK Effie Oshaya had criticism of Labor MKs for \"sometimes placing their personal career considerations above national ones.\"
Histadrut Labor Union chief MK Amir Peretz says he hopes there will be new elections, \"because they will concentrate on economic issues, and Israel will only profit from that.\"
Adi Eldar, Chairman of the Local Authorities Union, praised Education Minister Limor Livnat for not voting in favor of the budget, because of the \"great damage\" he says it will cause to Israel\'s education system. \"The Minister displayed great public courage in her fight for the future of Israeli education,\" Eldar said. \"The cuts will mean the widening of the gaps between the various sectors, as well as the firing of thousands of teachers.\"
Interior Minister Eli Yeshai (Shas): \"Elections at this time are not good for the economy… But it\'s all up to Sharon: he will decide if there are new elections, a narrow government, whatever… This is not just an exercise in arm-twisting, but rather a question of principles. There are people who will lose their daily bread if this plan goes through... If Sharon wants new elections, he is welcome.\"
Health Minister Nissim Dahan (Shas) said that his party had no choice but to vote against the bill, \"because otherwise we would have seen thousands of more people thrown into poverty, and thousands of homeless on the streets - Israel would become Biafra and Argentina in one.\"
Deputy Education Minister Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism), another of the fired officials: \"This unwise act by the Prime Minister is the result of the Finance Minister\'s war against the poor families.\"
MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) had criticism of Finance Minister Shalom from another angle: \"Why did he raise a proposal when it was clear that it would not pass? He should have spoken to his coalition partners beforehand in order to [verify the situation].\"
MK Tommy Lapid, leader of anti-hareidi Shinui party: \"I don\'t believe that Shas will leave the coalition, but [if I\'m wrong], we would be ready to join under certain conditions... A government with 80 MKs that can\'t pass budget cuts is rotten from the inside and should be replaced…\"
Labor MK Effie Oshaya had criticism of Labor MKs for \"sometimes placing their personal career considerations above national ones.\"
Histadrut Labor Union chief MK Amir Peretz says he hopes there will be new elections, \"because they will concentrate on economic issues, and Israel will only profit from that.\"
Adi Eldar, Chairman of the Local Authorities Union, praised Education Minister Limor Livnat for not voting in favor of the budget, because of the \"great damage\" he says it will cause to Israel\'s education system. \"The Minister displayed great public courage in her fight for the future of Israeli education,\" Eldar said. \"The cuts will mean the widening of the gaps between the various sectors, as well as the firing of thousands of teachers.\"