The cabinet vote on PM Sharon's withdrawal/expulsion plan finally took place tonight (Sunday), after a brief interruption by Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, and Education Minister Limor Livnat - who walked out, demanding that the 'letters of understanding' exchanged between Sharon and US President George W. Bush be excluded from the government decision because the letters clearly state that Jewish communities will ultimately be destroyed.
Besides Netanyahu, Livnat and Shalom, voting in favor of were Sharon himself, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz (Likud), Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Likud), Immigrant Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni (Likud), Minister in the Finance Ministry Meir Sheetrit (Likud), and Minister without portfolio Gideon Ezra (Likud), Justice Minister Yosef Lapid (Shinui), Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui), National Infrastructures Minister Yosef Paritzky (Shinui), Environment Minister Yehudit Naot (Shinui) and Science Minister Modi Zandberg (Shinui).
The seven Ministers who voted against the plan were: Minister without portfolio Uzi Landau (Likud), Health Minister Danny Naveh (Likud), Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud), Diaspora Affairs Minister Natan Sharansky (Likud), Housing and Construction Minister Effi Eitam (NRP), and Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev(NRP).
The plan calls for preperations to be made for the total eradication of the Jewish communities of Gaza by the end of 2005 along with four communities located in the northern Shomron. The 'staged' nature of the plan is that it calls for another cabinet vote in March of 2005 to ratify the actual demolition orders.
Israel Radio quoted sources close to Netanyahu, Livnat and Shalom saying that the proposal the government voted upon does not include any decision to uproot Jewish communities, in principle or in practice. It remains to be seen how such a plan - the central point of which is that, "there will be no Jews in Gaza by 2006," in Sharon's words - could be supported without endorsing the expulsion of Jews from their homes. The last-minute changes can be reviewed at IMRA.
All eyes are now upon the National Religious Party. Party leader, Minister Effie Eitam is expected to hand in his resignation but Minister Zevulun Orlev has already begun to argue the merits of remaining in the coalition.
"There is a basis for NRP to remain in coalition," Orlev said, following the vote, "as there is no mention of settlement evacuations in plan."
Minister Eitam said that remaining in the coalition was out of the question. "No linguistic laundry can bleach one of the blackest decisions ever taken by an Israeli government. This plan`s approval leads directly to the expulsion of thousands of Jews, and the creation of a Hamas state on a platter of Jewish blood," Eitam declared.
The NRP will hold a meeting tonight with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Avraham Shapira in order to decide whether to quit the government or not.
In the drama that preceded the cabinet meeting, PM Sharon pushed off a "face-saving" suggestion from Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy (See <"www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=63535"> for the events leading up to this development.) Justice Levy made the proposal in response to four court suits against Sharon's dismissal of the two National Union ministers, Avigdor Lieberman and Benny Elon.
Levy was the lone Supreme Court justice to hear today's petitions, and as such he did not have the right to dismiss the suits. He therefore suggested to Sharon that in order to avoid the "humiliation" of being served a restraining order to suspend the dismissals and/or today's meeting, Sharon should simply postpone the Cabinet meeting until Tuesday. Sharon was given two hours to respond, and at 2 PM, he respectfully informed Justice Levy that he did not accept the proposal, and that he requested a ruling.
At 3 PM, it was learned that the appeal against the dismissals might have become a moot question, in light of the final acceptance of the disengagement compromise. Ministers Netanyahu, Shalom and Livnat, after several days of negotiations with mediator Minister Tzippy Livni, agreed to accept the toned-down plan, such that Sharon's disengagement program now has a comfortable majority even if Elon and Lieberman participate in the vote.
At 5:30, the High Court rejected the petitions, paving the way for the cabinet vote to take place as planned.
Atty. Akiva Nof, a former Likud MK who is representing two of the petitioners against the firings, said that an Israeli Prime Minister is not the same as an American President. "This is a regime revolution. The government is becoming a group that must vote in a certain fashion, such that only the Prime Minister's opinion is heard, and whoever objects is fired." Another petitioner, Likud member Atty. Yossi Fuchs, said that Sharon's dismissal of Elon and Lieberman goes beyond what is considered reasonable: "There has never been, since the establishment of the state, an instance where the Prime Minister fired ministers merely in order to create an artificial majority. This is anti-democratic."
Responding in the name of the state, Atty. Osnat Mandel told the Court, "The Prime Minister wants to pass a diplomatic decision, and consulted with the Attorney-General. There is no need for the Court to intervene in a diplomatic decision of the Prime Minister."
A no-confidence motion is scheduled for tomorrow and the Labor opposition party is more likely than ever to vote against the government, as it considers the plan that was voted upon to be a watered-down compromise proposal.
In the background of the coalition machinations stands the decision scheduled to be issued in the coming days regarding Sharon's possible role in two criminal cases under investigation. Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz has been rumored to have already decided to close one of the two cases - the less serious of the two - although some Justice Ministry sources say that he has actually decided to indict Sharon. The decision is expected anytime between tomorrow and next week.
Besides Netanyahu, Livnat and Shalom, voting in favor of were Sharon himself, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz (Likud), Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (Likud), Immigrant Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni (Likud), Minister in the Finance Ministry Meir Sheetrit (Likud), and Minister without portfolio Gideon Ezra (Likud), Justice Minister Yosef Lapid (Shinui), Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui), National Infrastructures Minister Yosef Paritzky (Shinui), Environment Minister Yehudit Naot (Shinui) and Science Minister Modi Zandberg (Shinui).
The seven Ministers who voted against the plan were: Minister without portfolio Uzi Landau (Likud), Health Minister Danny Naveh (Likud), Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud), Diaspora Affairs Minister Natan Sharansky (Likud), Housing and Construction Minister Effi Eitam (NRP), and Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev(NRP).
The plan calls for preperations to be made for the total eradication of the Jewish communities of Gaza by the end of 2005 along with four communities located in the northern Shomron. The 'staged' nature of the plan is that it calls for another cabinet vote in March of 2005 to ratify the actual demolition orders.
Israel Radio quoted sources close to Netanyahu, Livnat and Shalom saying that the proposal the government voted upon does not include any decision to uproot Jewish communities, in principle or in practice. It remains to be seen how such a plan - the central point of which is that, "there will be no Jews in Gaza by 2006," in Sharon's words - could be supported without endorsing the expulsion of Jews from their homes. The last-minute changes can be reviewed at IMRA.
All eyes are now upon the National Religious Party. Party leader, Minister Effie Eitam is expected to hand in his resignation but Minister Zevulun Orlev has already begun to argue the merits of remaining in the coalition.
"There is a basis for NRP to remain in coalition," Orlev said, following the vote, "as there is no mention of settlement evacuations in plan."
Minister Eitam said that remaining in the coalition was out of the question. "No linguistic laundry can bleach one of the blackest decisions ever taken by an Israeli government. This plan`s approval leads directly to the expulsion of thousands of Jews, and the creation of a Hamas state on a platter of Jewish blood," Eitam declared.
The NRP will hold a meeting tonight with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Avraham Shapira in order to decide whether to quit the government or not.
In the drama that preceded the cabinet meeting, PM Sharon pushed off a "face-saving" suggestion from Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy (See <"www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=63535"> for the events leading up to this development.) Justice Levy made the proposal in response to four court suits against Sharon's dismissal of the two National Union ministers, Avigdor Lieberman and Benny Elon.
Levy was the lone Supreme Court justice to hear today's petitions, and as such he did not have the right to dismiss the suits. He therefore suggested to Sharon that in order to avoid the "humiliation" of being served a restraining order to suspend the dismissals and/or today's meeting, Sharon should simply postpone the Cabinet meeting until Tuesday. Sharon was given two hours to respond, and at 2 PM, he respectfully informed Justice Levy that he did not accept the proposal, and that he requested a ruling.
At 3 PM, it was learned that the appeal against the dismissals might have become a moot question, in light of the final acceptance of the disengagement compromise. Ministers Netanyahu, Shalom and Livnat, after several days of negotiations with mediator Minister Tzippy Livni, agreed to accept the toned-down plan, such that Sharon's disengagement program now has a comfortable majority even if Elon and Lieberman participate in the vote.
At 5:30, the High Court rejected the petitions, paving the way for the cabinet vote to take place as planned.
Atty. Akiva Nof, a former Likud MK who is representing two of the petitioners against the firings, said that an Israeli Prime Minister is not the same as an American President. "This is a regime revolution. The government is becoming a group that must vote in a certain fashion, such that only the Prime Minister's opinion is heard, and whoever objects is fired." Another petitioner, Likud member Atty. Yossi Fuchs, said that Sharon's dismissal of Elon and Lieberman goes beyond what is considered reasonable: "There has never been, since the establishment of the state, an instance where the Prime Minister fired ministers merely in order to create an artificial majority. This is anti-democratic."
Responding in the name of the state, Atty. Osnat Mandel told the Court, "The Prime Minister wants to pass a diplomatic decision, and consulted with the Attorney-General. There is no need for the Court to intervene in a diplomatic decision of the Prime Minister."
A no-confidence motion is scheduled for tomorrow and the Labor opposition party is more likely than ever to vote against the government, as it considers the plan that was voted upon to be a watered-down compromise proposal.
In the background of the coalition machinations stands the decision scheduled to be issued in the coming days regarding Sharon's possible role in two criminal cases under investigation. Attorney-General Menachem Mazuz has been rumored to have already decided to close one of the two cases - the less serious of the two - although some Justice Ministry sources say that he has actually decided to indict Sharon. The decision is expected anytime between tomorrow and next week.