The government currently includes only 13 ministers, the smallest it has been in over 50 years. More tellingly, it commands the support of only precisely one-third of the Knesset, namely, the 40 MKs of the Likud. Prime Minister Sharon is now pursuing Labor and UTJ, in order to retain his hold on the regime.
The coalition started out in March 2003 with four parties: the Likud, Shinui (15 MKs), National Union (7), and the National Religious Party (6). The National Union was the first to go, in June of this year, when Sharon fired its Ministers Lieberman and Elon following their vote against the disengagement.
Next to leave was part of the NRP, when Minister Effie Eitam resigned in protest of that same unilateral withdrawal/expulsion plan. The other half of the NRP, Zevulun Orlev, resigned several months later for the same reason.
Finally, last night, the five Shinui ministers were fired after they voted against the budget. Their vote came in protest of the 290-million shekel allocation to UTJ institutions, making up for some of the budget cuts of the past two years.
Sharon must now start once again from scratch. His most likely partner is Labor, but he faces two obstacles in this direction: One is that Labor itself is undecided as to whether or not to enter the government. In addition, the Likud’s own Central Committee has rejected the option of including Labor without a religious party. Many Likud members, too, object to the disengagement/transfer plan, and know that a Likud-Labor government will facilitate just that. On the other hand, as Sharon has explained and will explain in the future, the choice is between accepting Labor or holding new elections.
The Likud is now entering into negotiations with both Labor and United Torah Judaism. One version has it that Labor will not demand any ministerial portfolios, but will enter the government merely as a stopgap measure to ensure that the disengagement is implemented. Likud strongman Uzi Cohen, deputy mayor of Raanana, said that he had agreed on this arrangement with Shimon Peres.
Another option is that Labor will in fact demand Cabinet posts, with Shimon Peres possibly serving in a yet-to-be-created post, that of Minister of Disengagement.
Coalition talks with United Torah Judaism focus on restoring the child allowance payments that were recently cut, maintaining yeshivot and religious institutions, and giving the party the chairmanship of the Finance Committee and one or two deputy-minister posts. UTJ has traditionally not assumed a Cabinet post, because of its principled objections to a non-religious government. In the past, it has had deputy-ministers with the authorities of a minister.
It is not clear how the entry of UTJ into the coalition will jibe with its basic opposition until now to the disengagement plan.
If the negotiations with Labor and UTJ succeed, and if the Likud and Labor Central Committees approve the new government, this will create a government of 66 MKs. The Likud might then turn to Shas as well, to shore up the government to 77. Shas, however, continues to object to the disengagement plan.
In any event, the religious parties are celebrating the departure of the anti-religious Shinui Party from the government. Even Prime Minister Sharon said yesterday, “Whenever a topic connected with Judaism came up in the Cabinet, Shinui was always against." MK Shlomo Benizri of Shas said this morning, "I think that the entire Jewish community in Israel should celebrate the departure of those 'Israel-persecuters' from the government. "
The coalition started out in March 2003 with four parties: the Likud, Shinui (15 MKs), National Union (7), and the National Religious Party (6). The National Union was the first to go, in June of this year, when Sharon fired its Ministers Lieberman and Elon following their vote against the disengagement.
Next to leave was part of the NRP, when Minister Effie Eitam resigned in protest of that same unilateral withdrawal/expulsion plan. The other half of the NRP, Zevulun Orlev, resigned several months later for the same reason.
Finally, last night, the five Shinui ministers were fired after they voted against the budget. Their vote came in protest of the 290-million shekel allocation to UTJ institutions, making up for some of the budget cuts of the past two years.
Sharon must now start once again from scratch. His most likely partner is Labor, but he faces two obstacles in this direction: One is that Labor itself is undecided as to whether or not to enter the government. In addition, the Likud’s own Central Committee has rejected the option of including Labor without a religious party. Many Likud members, too, object to the disengagement/transfer plan, and know that a Likud-Labor government will facilitate just that. On the other hand, as Sharon has explained and will explain in the future, the choice is between accepting Labor or holding new elections.
The Likud is now entering into negotiations with both Labor and United Torah Judaism. One version has it that Labor will not demand any ministerial portfolios, but will enter the government merely as a stopgap measure to ensure that the disengagement is implemented. Likud strongman Uzi Cohen, deputy mayor of Raanana, said that he had agreed on this arrangement with Shimon Peres.
Another option is that Labor will in fact demand Cabinet posts, with Shimon Peres possibly serving in a yet-to-be-created post, that of Minister of Disengagement.
Coalition talks with United Torah Judaism focus on restoring the child allowance payments that were recently cut, maintaining yeshivot and religious institutions, and giving the party the chairmanship of the Finance Committee and one or two deputy-minister posts. UTJ has traditionally not assumed a Cabinet post, because of its principled objections to a non-religious government. In the past, it has had deputy-ministers with the authorities of a minister.
It is not clear how the entry of UTJ into the coalition will jibe with its basic opposition until now to the disengagement plan.
If the negotiations with Labor and UTJ succeed, and if the Likud and Labor Central Committees approve the new government, this will create a government of 66 MKs. The Likud might then turn to Shas as well, to shore up the government to 77. Shas, however, continues to object to the disengagement plan.
In any event, the religious parties are celebrating the departure of the anti-religious Shinui Party from the government. Even Prime Minister Sharon said yesterday, “Whenever a topic connected with Judaism came up in the Cabinet, Shinui was always against." MK Shlomo Benizri of Shas said this morning, "I think that the entire Jewish community in Israel should celebrate the departure of those 'Israel-persecuters' from the government. "