It is generally accepted that the right-wing parties - the National Religious Party and the National Union, which number 13 Knesset Members in total - will not be able to remain in the government if Prime Minister Sharon attempts to destroy a community such as Migron. The conventional wisdom for such a scenario is that the Labor Party, with its 19 MKs, will then be drafted into a national unity government, thus assuring the passage of those moves to which the right-wing parties object.
To offset such a possibility, several Likud MKs are attempting to organize opposition to Sharon and his policies from within. MKs Yuli Edelstein, Gilad Erdan and Ehud Yatom are taking the lead in this regard, but already appear to have the support of at least ten others. The 13 signed a petition earlier this week banning Likud MKs and ministers from issuing declarations in favor of unilateral withdrawals and community-dismantling unless the Likud Party officially decides on such moves.
"These 13 do not include the ministers such as Landau, HaNegbi and Sharansky, " Edelstein told Arutz-7 this morning, "nor Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, who support us but do not usually sign petitions of this nature. We are therefore confident that we have very good chances of organizing a group of Likud MKs against these policies of dismantling communities and unilateral gestures."
"It's not just a question of politics," Edelstein said, "but rather of our conviction that these moves will not only not bring peace, but will distance it even further. We always attributed the 'salami process' [of getting Israel to agree to concession after concession] to Arafat, but now there are some among us who are doing it themselves - by wanting to withdraw to borders that no one in the world will recognize, while the Arabs continue terrorism at the same time - such that we will find ourselves in the same place but with fewer cards to play. I think this is clear to many MKs, and I hope that they won't fear to say this aloud. The question of course is if they will be able to stand up to the strong pressures from the direction of Sharon that will certainly come... We will approach and work with all the ministers and the MKs, and I think there will be surprises; in the end I hope we will be able to formulate a concerted front against these dangerous policies."
To offset such a possibility, several Likud MKs are attempting to organize opposition to Sharon and his policies from within. MKs Yuli Edelstein, Gilad Erdan and Ehud Yatom are taking the lead in this regard, but already appear to have the support of at least ten others. The 13 signed a petition earlier this week banning Likud MKs and ministers from issuing declarations in favor of unilateral withdrawals and community-dismantling unless the Likud Party officially decides on such moves.
"These 13 do not include the ministers such as Landau, HaNegbi and Sharansky, " Edelstein told Arutz-7 this morning, "nor Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, who support us but do not usually sign petitions of this nature. We are therefore confident that we have very good chances of organizing a group of Likud MKs against these policies of dismantling communities and unilateral gestures."
"It's not just a question of politics," Edelstein said, "but rather of our conviction that these moves will not only not bring peace, but will distance it even further. We always attributed the 'salami process' [of getting Israel to agree to concession after concession] to Arafat, but now there are some among us who are doing it themselves - by wanting to withdraw to borders that no one in the world will recognize, while the Arabs continue terrorism at the same time - such that we will find ourselves in the same place but with fewer cards to play. I think this is clear to many MKs, and I hope that they won't fear to say this aloud. The question of course is if they will be able to stand up to the strong pressures from the direction of Sharon that will certainly come... We will approach and work with all the ministers and the MKs, and I think there will be surprises; in the end I hope we will be able to formulate a concerted front against these dangerous policies."