The NRP (National Religious Party) Knesset faction decided unanimously today to accept Prime Minister Sharon's offer of two ministerial portfolios, in exchange for the party's support of the budget proposals. Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, who has served in the past as Education Minister, Housing Minister and - for the past few months - Minister Without Portfolio, will become Minister of Tourism, while Effie Eitam will take over the Infrastructures Ministry. The latter post will be somewhat reduced, as Sharon has received Knesset approval to keep the all-important Lands Administration Authority for himself.
The party's support for the budget is not a great sacrifice, as party leader Eitam has long been outspokenly supportive of the need for budget cuts. For good measure, the party has reserved the right to debate planned cuts in education and child allowances. However, the NRP decision faced opposition on a different account. Col. (res.) Moshe Leshem, for instance, who serves as Chairman of Gamla Shall Not Fall Again, was sharply critical of the NRP decision today:
"How is it possible, on a day when Shimon Peres essentially announces his consent to a Palestinian state as proposed by the Quartet, and on a day when we learn that Israel has allowed the CIA to begin training the successors of Rajoub and Tirawi - for the NRP to join the government?! They are in essence playing the same role as Shas did when the Oslo agreements were signed - but the formation of a Palestinian state is ten times worse than Oslo!"
Rabbi Yitzchak Levy responded that it has long been the party's position that it must fight from within in order to ensure that the above fears are not realized. "I would expect Leshem to take the opposite approach," he said. "He should call on the National Union party to join the government together with us, in order to strengthen it! Now is not the time to dismantle the government, but to help it withstand the pressures it faces..."
The party's support for the budget is not a great sacrifice, as party leader Eitam has long been outspokenly supportive of the need for budget cuts. For good measure, the party has reserved the right to debate planned cuts in education and child allowances. However, the NRP decision faced opposition on a different account. Col. (res.) Moshe Leshem, for instance, who serves as Chairman of Gamla Shall Not Fall Again, was sharply critical of the NRP decision today:
"How is it possible, on a day when Shimon Peres essentially announces his consent to a Palestinian state as proposed by the Quartet, and on a day when we learn that Israel has allowed the CIA to begin training the successors of Rajoub and Tirawi - for the NRP to join the government?! They are in essence playing the same role as Shas did when the Oslo agreements were signed - but the formation of a Palestinian state is ten times worse than Oslo!"
Rabbi Yitzchak Levy responded that it has long been the party's position that it must fight from within in order to ensure that the above fears are not realized. "I would expect Leshem to take the opposite approach," he said. "He should call on the National Union party to join the government together with us, in order to strengthen it! Now is not the time to dismantle the government, but to help it withstand the pressures it faces..."