The withdrawal/expulsion timetable released today puts Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev of the NRP on the defensive, as it was he who is leading the opposition to his party leader Effie Eitam's decision to resign from the government. Orlev and his party allies MKs Sha'ul Yahalom and Gila Finkelstein have said that there is no need to quit, because no concrete steps for the withdrawal from Gaza have yet been taken. "Many things can happen" between now and next year, Orlev and allies say.
Orlev said this morning that he is "considering the issue on its merits" and that "what is significant is only the timing of the actual evacuation."
Later in the day, Orlev responded in greater detail: "I spoke with Justice Minister Tommy Lapid, who said that all payment of compensation or advances on compensation must be done in a judicial framework. Therefore, all the reports disseminated today have no legal grounds. There are apparently those who wish to create an atmosphere as if everything is lost and that the evacuation is already a fact - which is not true and has no basis in the Cabinet decision."
A spokesman for MK Yahalom was also not fazed by the timetable: "As long as the Labor Party is still out of the government, this plan can still be stopped," he said today. "No concrete steps towards the withdrawal have yet been taken." MK Finkelstein said, "It is not democratic and not legal to discuss compensation for the residents before a Cabinet vote on the actual dismantling. How can we set a date for the evacuation before we receive clear answers about the repression of terrorism?"
Benny Kashriel, Mayor of Maaleh Adumim and a former Yesha Council leader, said today that the NRP should remain in the government, and that this would be a guarantee for the preservation of Judea and Samaria.
On the other hand, MK Nissan Slomiansky, who has attempted to mediate the dispute in the NRP, was very upset by the news of the timetable. "If this news is true, the NRP will be out of the government within two weeks," he said this afternoon.
The NRP leadership is split over the issue of whether to leave the government, and the party is facing a possible split. A no-confidence motion is scheduled in the Knesset for this coming Monday, and it is not yet clear how each of the MKs of the NRP will vote.
Eli Gabbai, a former and possibly future MK of the National Religious Party, did not wish to share with Arutz-7 his personal opinion as to whether the party should remain in the government, but did express criticism of the way in which party leader Effie Eitam behaved: "The rules set by the NRP are that if a minister wishes to quit the government and coalition, he can only do so if the Central Committee votes and agrees. I respect his decision of conscience, but he's not his own man... The same is true with asking the rabbis: If rabbis are consulted, they must be listened to - but he shouldn't have gone on his own to ask, but rather there must be a set mechanism that determines what and how the rabbis are asked."
Orlev said this morning that he is "considering the issue on its merits" and that "what is significant is only the timing of the actual evacuation."
Later in the day, Orlev responded in greater detail: "I spoke with Justice Minister Tommy Lapid, who said that all payment of compensation or advances on compensation must be done in a judicial framework. Therefore, all the reports disseminated today have no legal grounds. There are apparently those who wish to create an atmosphere as if everything is lost and that the evacuation is already a fact - which is not true and has no basis in the Cabinet decision."
A spokesman for MK Yahalom was also not fazed by the timetable: "As long as the Labor Party is still out of the government, this plan can still be stopped," he said today. "No concrete steps towards the withdrawal have yet been taken." MK Finkelstein said, "It is not democratic and not legal to discuss compensation for the residents before a Cabinet vote on the actual dismantling. How can we set a date for the evacuation before we receive clear answers about the repression of terrorism?"
Benny Kashriel, Mayor of Maaleh Adumim and a former Yesha Council leader, said today that the NRP should remain in the government, and that this would be a guarantee for the preservation of Judea and Samaria.
On the other hand, MK Nissan Slomiansky, who has attempted to mediate the dispute in the NRP, was very upset by the news of the timetable. "If this news is true, the NRP will be out of the government within two weeks," he said this afternoon.
The NRP leadership is split over the issue of whether to leave the government, and the party is facing a possible split. A no-confidence motion is scheduled in the Knesset for this coming Monday, and it is not yet clear how each of the MKs of the NRP will vote.
Eli Gabbai, a former and possibly future MK of the National Religious Party, did not wish to share with Arutz-7 his personal opinion as to whether the party should remain in the government, but did express criticism of the way in which party leader Effie Eitam behaved: "The rules set by the NRP are that if a minister wishes to quit the government and coalition, he can only do so if the Central Committee votes and agrees. I respect his decision of conscience, but he's not his own man... The same is true with asking the rabbis: If rabbis are consulted, they must be listened to - but he shouldn't have gone on his own to ask, but rather there must be a set mechanism that determines what and how the rabbis are asked."