Somewhat out-shadowed by the ongoing furor in the Labor party - which stormily decided last night to join the unity government with the Likud - the coalition negotiations with the right-wing parties will begin in earnest this evening. The Shas and Yisrael B\'Aliyah parties both demand the Interior Ministry, while the National Religious Party demands Education and Communications; the three have said that they will not settle for less. The Likud negotiating team will meet with the parties in size-order - Shas (17 Knesset seats), National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu (7), followed (out of order) by Yisrael B\'Aliyah (4), the NRP (5), and United Torah Judaism (5).
In addition, all the religious parties have banded together against granting the Chairmanship of the Knesset Law Committee to a Labor member, even for only half the government\'s term. The post was originally promised to MK Benny Elon of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu, but the Likud apparently gave in to a Labor demand to renege on it. National Union leader MK Rehavam Ze\'evi, speaking with Arutz-7 today, stopped short of saying that the party would insist that Elon receive the post under all circumstances. In another interesting development, the NRP now backs MK Tzvi Hendel - who left the NRP for the National Union two years ago - for Deputy Defense Minister for Settlement Affairs.
Arutz-7 spoke with Shas Knesset faction head MK Ya\'ir Peretz, who said: \"Our demands are clear: social portfolios, such as Interior, Religious Affairs, Health, and Labor and Welfare, as well as an additional one because of the new arrangement [under which every three Knesset seats entitle the party to a ministerial portfolio]. In addition, we absolutely demand the passage of the Tal Committee law [enabling the exemption of yeshiva students from army service, under certain circumstances].\"
Peretz then said, \"Let me give you a scoop, which you can broadcast here for the first time: Shas, NRP, Yisrael B\'Aliyah, and Yisrael Beiteinu - the faction heads of all these parties wrote to Sharon demanding that the change to the direct election law [of the Prime Minister] take effect not from the next Knesset, but from the one after that. [A preliminary version of the bill was passed by a Knesset committee today, but it still must go through its second and third readings.] Otherwise, we will not sit in a government headed by MK Ariel Sharon.\" The small parties are known to be in favor of \"direct election\" because it allows voters to vote not only for Prime Minister, but also for one of the other parties - thus leading to an increase in the strength of the small parties.
\"Finally,\" said Peretz, continuing the list of his party\'s coalition demands, \"we demand that the Law Committee be headed not by someone from Labor, but by someone to whom Jewish values are close to his heart.\" The other religious parties join Shas in this demand, as mentioned above.
In addition, all the religious parties have banded together against granting the Chairmanship of the Knesset Law Committee to a Labor member, even for only half the government\'s term. The post was originally promised to MK Benny Elon of National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu, but the Likud apparently gave in to a Labor demand to renege on it. National Union leader MK Rehavam Ze\'evi, speaking with Arutz-7 today, stopped short of saying that the party would insist that Elon receive the post under all circumstances. In another interesting development, the NRP now backs MK Tzvi Hendel - who left the NRP for the National Union two years ago - for Deputy Defense Minister for Settlement Affairs.
Arutz-7 spoke with Shas Knesset faction head MK Ya\'ir Peretz, who said: \"Our demands are clear: social portfolios, such as Interior, Religious Affairs, Health, and Labor and Welfare, as well as an additional one because of the new arrangement [under which every three Knesset seats entitle the party to a ministerial portfolio]. In addition, we absolutely demand the passage of the Tal Committee law [enabling the exemption of yeshiva students from army service, under certain circumstances].\"
Peretz then said, \"Let me give you a scoop, which you can broadcast here for the first time: Shas, NRP, Yisrael B\'Aliyah, and Yisrael Beiteinu - the faction heads of all these parties wrote to Sharon demanding that the change to the direct election law [of the Prime Minister] take effect not from the next Knesset, but from the one after that. [A preliminary version of the bill was passed by a Knesset committee today, but it still must go through its second and third readings.] Otherwise, we will not sit in a government headed by MK Ariel Sharon.\" The small parties are known to be in favor of \"direct election\" because it allows voters to vote not only for Prime Minister, but also for one of the other parties - thus leading to an increase in the strength of the small parties.
\"Finally,\" said Peretz, continuing the list of his party\'s coalition demands, \"we demand that the Law Committee be headed not by someone from Labor, but by someone to whom Jewish values are close to his heart.\" The other religious parties join Shas in this demand, as mentioned above.