It's final: The Labor Party announced this evening that it would not join a unity government headed by Ariel Sharon - leading to a rainstorm of blame and accusations in all directions. Many religious voters, however, emitted a sigh of relief that a secular Labor-Shinui-Likud government had been averted.
Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, under heavy fire from some of his party colleagues this afternoon for the manner in which he handled the negotiations with Sharon, said that Sharon's inclusion of the "settlers' party [NRP] and not Labor raises graves doubts as to whether he really wants peace." He said that Sharon "made only a very small effort" to exhaust negotiation possibilities with Labor. Mitzna was then sharply attacked by his party colleagues Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Dalia Itzik for the way he is running the party, and by Shimon Peres for not agreeing to join the government.
Labor leader Mitzna had sharp words of criticism for Tommy Lapid of Shinui, who, he said, "didn't even give a chance to a secular government [Likud-Labor-Shinui]. He could have been fined for speeding in terms of the way in which he rushed into the government."
Lapid answered this charge on Channel Two television by explaining that the reason he entered into negotiations with the NRP - thus ostensibly making it difficult for Labor to join - was because he knew in advance that Labor would not join the coalition.
Lapid then turned the tables on Mitzna and said that it was Mitzna's fault that the long-awaited "secular unity government" did not come to pass: "Mitzna, for no apparent reason, decided not to join, leaving us with the option of staying out and letting the hareidim run the country, or joining the coalition and saving what we could. And we saved a lot: the Tal Law will be revoked, as well as the law for large families…"
Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna, under heavy fire from some of his party colleagues this afternoon for the manner in which he handled the negotiations with Sharon, said that Sharon's inclusion of the "settlers' party [NRP] and not Labor raises graves doubts as to whether he really wants peace." He said that Sharon "made only a very small effort" to exhaust negotiation possibilities with Labor. Mitzna was then sharply attacked by his party colleagues Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Dalia Itzik for the way he is running the party, and by Shimon Peres for not agreeing to join the government.
Labor leader Mitzna had sharp words of criticism for Tommy Lapid of Shinui, who, he said, "didn't even give a chance to a secular government [Likud-Labor-Shinui]. He could have been fined for speeding in terms of the way in which he rushed into the government."
Lapid answered this charge on Channel Two television by explaining that the reason he entered into negotiations with the NRP - thus ostensibly making it difficult for Labor to join - was because he knew in advance that Labor would not join the coalition.
Lapid then turned the tables on Mitzna and said that it was Mitzna's fault that the long-awaited "secular unity government" did not come to pass: "Mitzna, for no apparent reason, decided not to join, leaving us with the option of staying out and letting the hareidim run the country, or joining the coalition and saving what we could. And we saved a lot: the Tal Law will be revoked, as well as the law for large families…"