It appears that the Labor Party's threats to vote against the budget this Wednesday will not have any short-term results - but the long-range is less clear. The austere budget presented by Prime Minister Sharon seems assured of passage, as the votes of the seven MKs of the National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu will put it over the top. These, added to the Likud's 19 MKs, 17 from Shas, Yisrael B'Aliyah (4), Center (5), NRP (5), and UTJ (5), will provide a total of 62.
National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman says that his party will give a security net to Sharon and vote for the budget, "because a nation must not be left without a budget." Another reason, he says, is that "the background of this dispute is that Labor is setting one population sector against the Yesha settlement sector [see below] during the latter's time of trouble."
Sharon has said that a vote against the budget is tantamount to quitting the government. The question remains, then, how long will Prime Minister Sharon want to continue with a narrow-based government without Labor? His options are to either continue this way until the scheduled elections a year from today, resign and force new elections 90 days later, or to find a compromise with the Laborites that will enable them to vote for the budget and thus remain in the government.
Lieberman announced, surprisingly, that he plans to introduce both a no-confidence motion in the government and a resolution to dissolve the Knesset by next week. Asked why he would not take advantage of "this unique opportunity [of Labor's apparent resignation] to form a narrow right-wing government," he said,
"I don't believe in narrow governments. We see that we can't trust the religious parties - they caused a coalition crisis with the electric turbines [in the summer of 1999], but when the government [desecrated the Sabbath to dismantle] an outpost, suddenly they were quiet and said nothing... It is clear to me that a narrow government will be given to blackmail by the religious parties before every vote. We need a different type of coalition, a stable one… If, on the other hand, elections were to be held very soon, I believe that we have a good chance for a solid right-wing majority - which I believe, at the same time, must lead a national-unity government…"
National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman says that his party will give a security net to Sharon and vote for the budget, "because a nation must not be left without a budget." Another reason, he says, is that "the background of this dispute is that Labor is setting one population sector against the Yesha settlement sector [see below] during the latter's time of trouble."
Sharon has said that a vote against the budget is tantamount to quitting the government. The question remains, then, how long will Prime Minister Sharon want to continue with a narrow-based government without Labor? His options are to either continue this way until the scheduled elections a year from today, resign and force new elections 90 days later, or to find a compromise with the Laborites that will enable them to vote for the budget and thus remain in the government.
Lieberman announced, surprisingly, that he plans to introduce both a no-confidence motion in the government and a resolution to dissolve the Knesset by next week. Asked why he would not take advantage of "this unique opportunity [of Labor's apparent resignation] to form a narrow right-wing government," he said,
"I don't believe in narrow governments. We see that we can't trust the religious parties - they caused a coalition crisis with the electric turbines [in the summer of 1999], but when the government [desecrated the Sabbath to dismantle] an outpost, suddenly they were quiet and said nothing... It is clear to me that a narrow government will be given to blackmail by the religious parties before every vote. We need a different type of coalition, a stable one… If, on the other hand, elections were to be held very soon, I believe that we have a good chance for a solid right-wing majority - which I believe, at the same time, must lead a national-unity government…"