"The Prime Minister's notion to destroy 17 blossoming Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip is an act of insanity and devoid of morality... It will not come to fruition, because myriads of people will prevent it by forming a human wall wherever necessary." So says the Yesha Rabbis Council, in response to Mr. Sharon's announcement of intention to make Gaza Jew-free. "I am working on the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza," Sharon said yesterday.
The plan "brings closer than ever the end of Sharon's term in office, just as happened to the others who took a similar approach," the Yesha Rabbis Council stated. A possible harbinger of such took place yesterday in the Knesset when a no-confidence motion in the government was only narrowly defeated, 42-41. The MKs and ministers of the NRP and National Union - which together comprise 13 of the government's 68 MKs - made sure not to show up for the vote, as did at least two Likud MKs. In fact, in order to ensure sufficient support for the government, Likud MK Majali Wahbee, who was celebrating a Moslem holiday at the Dead Sea, was called away from his vacation to show up for the vote.
Deputy Minister MK Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (NRP) told Arutz-7 today that by staying away from yesterday's vote, his party is signaling the Prime Minister that his coalition is in trouble. He demands that Sharon bring the plan to the Cabinet for debate, but implies that his party's days in the government are numbered. "If Sharon adheres to this plan and brings it to Washington next month," Levy said, "I hope that he will find himself without a government."
Twenty-one of the Likud's 40 MKs have already announced that they object, to one extent or another, to the unilateral withdrawal. Among them are Minister Meir Sheetrit, who is among the more dovish Likud members but is against any actions not taken in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority; Ehud Yatom, who said that he prefers new elections over such a plan; and several Cabinet ministers.
The National Religious Party and National Union will almost certainly not remain in the government if the withdrawal plan begins to take shape, leaving Sharon with only the Likud and Shinui (15 MKs). The Labor Party (19) will, in such a case, be asked to join the government, and most Labor officials say or intimate that they would, in fact, help Sharon form a new government under such circumstances. This would help Sharon, however, only if at least 27 of the Likud's 40 MKs support him - which is, at the moment, not guaranteed.
The plan "brings closer than ever the end of Sharon's term in office, just as happened to the others who took a similar approach," the Yesha Rabbis Council stated. A possible harbinger of such took place yesterday in the Knesset when a no-confidence motion in the government was only narrowly defeated, 42-41. The MKs and ministers of the NRP and National Union - which together comprise 13 of the government's 68 MKs - made sure not to show up for the vote, as did at least two Likud MKs. In fact, in order to ensure sufficient support for the government, Likud MK Majali Wahbee, who was celebrating a Moslem holiday at the Dead Sea, was called away from his vacation to show up for the vote.
Deputy Minister MK Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (NRP) told Arutz-7 today that by staying away from yesterday's vote, his party is signaling the Prime Minister that his coalition is in trouble. He demands that Sharon bring the plan to the Cabinet for debate, but implies that his party's days in the government are numbered. "If Sharon adheres to this plan and brings it to Washington next month," Levy said, "I hope that he will find himself without a government."
Twenty-one of the Likud's 40 MKs have already announced that they object, to one extent or another, to the unilateral withdrawal. Among them are Minister Meir Sheetrit, who is among the more dovish Likud members but is against any actions not taken in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority; Ehud Yatom, who said that he prefers new elections over such a plan; and several Cabinet ministers.
The National Religious Party and National Union will almost certainly not remain in the government if the withdrawal plan begins to take shape, leaving Sharon with only the Likud and Shinui (15 MKs). The Labor Party (19) will, in such a case, be asked to join the government, and most Labor officials say or intimate that they would, in fact, help Sharon form a new government under such circumstances. This would help Sharon, however, only if at least 27 of the Likud's 40 MKs support him - which is, at the moment, not guaranteed.