The government survived six no-confidence motions last night, and succeeded in having approved the appointment of Shinui MK Ilan Shalgi as Minister of Science, to boot. The four MKs of the NRP who have not yet resigned from the coalition "saved" the government by voting in its favor; the other two, MKs Eitam and Levy, who resigned from the coalition in early June, absented themselves from the votes.
MK Sha'ul Yahalom of the NRP explained to Arutz-7 once again why he and three other NRP Knesset Members still have not quit the coalition, even though they strongly object to the disengagement plan: "We met today with the Likud 'rebels' - those 'good guys' who object to the expulsion plan - and they, too, say we should not resign. Minister Uzi Landau and Deputy Minister Michael Ratzon, who, with us, are trying to figure out ways to stop this withdrawal plan, have also not resigned... It could be that the Prime Minister is laughing at us, but if we leave, then he will continue to laugh - but this time, together with Peres. We don't have much hope that anything can stop the Prime Minister in his wild drive to carry out this plan, but at least we're trying to do so by buying time."
NRP MK Nissan Slomiansky, too, says that the reason he and his colleagues are not leaving is to ensure that Labor does not join the government: "If Sharon feels that his position is too wobbly, or if we topple him without bringing about new elections, then he'll simply form a Likud-Labor-Shinui government, which means that nothing except for G-d will be able to stop the disengagement plan."
Official coalition negotiations between the Likud and Shas began today, while those with the United Torah Judaism party have been postponed until tomorrow morning. "Prime Minister Sharon has entered into a very dangerous maneuver," said MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ), "that has thrown all the parties - Labor, Shinui, Shas, ourselves, and even the Likud itself - into a situation of flux. He is going for broke, and he himself is also in danger of being harmed."
MK Sha'ul Yahalom of the NRP explained to Arutz-7 once again why he and three other NRP Knesset Members still have not quit the coalition, even though they strongly object to the disengagement plan: "We met today with the Likud 'rebels' - those 'good guys' who object to the expulsion plan - and they, too, say we should not resign. Minister Uzi Landau and Deputy Minister Michael Ratzon, who, with us, are trying to figure out ways to stop this withdrawal plan, have also not resigned... It could be that the Prime Minister is laughing at us, but if we leave, then he will continue to laugh - but this time, together with Peres. We don't have much hope that anything can stop the Prime Minister in his wild drive to carry out this plan, but at least we're trying to do so by buying time."
NRP MK Nissan Slomiansky, too, says that the reason he and his colleagues are not leaving is to ensure that Labor does not join the government: "If Sharon feels that his position is too wobbly, or if we topple him without bringing about new elections, then he'll simply form a Likud-Labor-Shinui government, which means that nothing except for G-d will be able to stop the disengagement plan."
Official coalition negotiations between the Likud and Shas began today, while those with the United Torah Judaism party have been postponed until tomorrow morning. "Prime Minister Sharon has entered into a very dangerous maneuver," said MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ), "that has thrown all the parties - Labor, Shinui, Shas, ourselves, and even the Likud itself - into a situation of flux. He is going for broke, and he himself is also in danger of being harmed."