Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and opposition leader Amram Mitzna are expected to meet, possibly this evening, in another attempt by Sharon to bring the Labor party into the coalition government. Mitzna, who has been avowedly against joining a Sharon-led unity government, was reported as saying today that he would consider joining a "secular unity government" of Likud, Labor, and Shinui.
Negotiations also continued overnight and today between the National Religious Party and Shinui, and between the Likud and United Torah Judaism. The overnight meeting between NRP chairman Effie Eitam and Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid ended this morning without results. The two met to discuss a possible modus vivendi for their two parties to work together in the government coalition. Eitam said he sees importance in working with Shinui, "which represents a large number of Israelis who are obviously unhappy with the way Judaism is publicly represented. The NRP sees it as an important task to try to come to terms with the representatives of that point of view." Lapid also had complimentary words for the NRP.
Eitam emphasized, however, that he would not compromise on matters of Jewish law, such as public transportation on Shabbat and civil marriages. He did imply that a solution to grant civil married-couple rights to people who are not Halakhically permitted to marry could be found, and that some changes could be made in the Tal Law governing army exemptions for yeshiva students. Another meeting between Eitam and Lapid is planned.
Some analysts predict that the NRP is on its way into a narrow 61-MK government that will start out with only the Likud (40 seats), the NRP (6), and Shinui (15). MK Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism) is not happy with this possibility, and said today that he "cannot understand [NRP leader] Effie Eitam." Ravitz said that Shinui has declared a "war against religion and the religious."
The Likud negotiators have made it clear to UTJ that it would not receive the Chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee - a position it has held in many previous Knessets. The Likud is reportedly offering UTJ one or two deputy ministerial positions. It appears that UTJ agrees to the increasingly popular demand to dismantle the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but wishes to ensure that religious services be maintained.
Negotiations also continued overnight and today between the National Religious Party and Shinui, and between the Likud and United Torah Judaism. The overnight meeting between NRP chairman Effie Eitam and Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy) Lapid ended this morning without results. The two met to discuss a possible modus vivendi for their two parties to work together in the government coalition. Eitam said he sees importance in working with Shinui, "which represents a large number of Israelis who are obviously unhappy with the way Judaism is publicly represented. The NRP sees it as an important task to try to come to terms with the representatives of that point of view." Lapid also had complimentary words for the NRP.
Eitam emphasized, however, that he would not compromise on matters of Jewish law, such as public transportation on Shabbat and civil marriages. He did imply that a solution to grant civil married-couple rights to people who are not Halakhically permitted to marry could be found, and that some changes could be made in the Tal Law governing army exemptions for yeshiva students. Another meeting between Eitam and Lapid is planned.
Some analysts predict that the NRP is on its way into a narrow 61-MK government that will start out with only the Likud (40 seats), the NRP (6), and Shinui (15). MK Avraham Ravitz (United Torah Judaism) is not happy with this possibility, and said today that he "cannot understand [NRP leader] Effie Eitam." Ravitz said that Shinui has declared a "war against religion and the religious."
The Likud negotiators have made it clear to UTJ that it would not receive the Chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee - a position it has held in many previous Knessets. The Likud is reportedly offering UTJ one or two deputy ministerial positions. It appears that UTJ agrees to the increasingly popular demand to dismantle the Ministry of Religious Affairs, but wishes to ensure that religious services be maintained.