Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv, head of the council, summoned the 15 Torah sages today to deliberate the coalition agreement reached between the negotiating teams of the ruling Likud party and United Torah Judaism (UTJ). A final decision on whether UTJ will enter Ariel Sharon's government is not expected until mid-week at the earliest.
While there are strong and opposing opinions among the party's Knesset members, they have all traditionally accepted the decision of the Council as binding.
Rabbi Elyashiv is opposed in principle to Sharon’s Gaza Disengagement Plan which calls for the uprooting of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria. However, other considerations such as maintaining the independence of the Hareidi religious school system may take precedence. After considering the opinions of his colleagues on the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Elyashiv is expected to announce his final decision.
In the event that UTJ does not join the government, Prime Minister Sharon may well be faced with calling for early elections. However, as Sharon told the New York Times Sunday night, "An election now would be a major mistake for Israel, but even if it becomes necessary, I will go ahead with disengagement."
Among other issues that were of importance to UTJ and that were agreed upon with the Likud negotiators was the independence of the Hareidi school system. The proposed coalition agreement essentially insulates the Hareidi schools from the effects of Education Ministry's reforms, as put forth in the Dovrat Report.
That clause of the potential UTJ-Likud agreement has led the National Religious Party's (NRP) Sha'ul Yahalom to threaten to petition the High Court of Justice against what he called "discrimination among the various educational streams."
MK Yahalom warned, "I recommend that UTJ consider very carefully the legality of the agreement they are about to sign, because the NRP will petition the High Court.... The state must decide: either full implementation of the Dovrat Report, or its full retraction."
Meanwhile, a group of children in Gush Katif, the area slated for destruction in Sharon’s plan, are hoping to influence the decision of the UTJ rabbinical leadership in spiritual ways. They are gathering today for prayers for the coalition talks with the religious parties to fail. Gush Katif leaders are emphasizing the potential destruction of Gush Katif's flowering Torah institutions should the evacuation plan go ahead.
While there are strong and opposing opinions among the party's Knesset members, they have all traditionally accepted the decision of the Council as binding.
Rabbi Elyashiv is opposed in principle to Sharon’s Gaza Disengagement Plan which calls for the uprooting of Jews from Gaza and northern Samaria. However, other considerations such as maintaining the independence of the Hareidi religious school system may take precedence. After considering the opinions of his colleagues on the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Elyashiv is expected to announce his final decision.
In the event that UTJ does not join the government, Prime Minister Sharon may well be faced with calling for early elections. However, as Sharon told the New York Times Sunday night, "An election now would be a major mistake for Israel, but even if it becomes necessary, I will go ahead with disengagement."
Among other issues that were of importance to UTJ and that were agreed upon with the Likud negotiators was the independence of the Hareidi school system. The proposed coalition agreement essentially insulates the Hareidi schools from the effects of Education Ministry's reforms, as put forth in the Dovrat Report.
That clause of the potential UTJ-Likud agreement has led the National Religious Party's (NRP) Sha'ul Yahalom to threaten to petition the High Court of Justice against what he called "discrimination among the various educational streams."
MK Yahalom warned, "I recommend that UTJ consider very carefully the legality of the agreement they are about to sign, because the NRP will petition the High Court.... The state must decide: either full implementation of the Dovrat Report, or its full retraction."
Meanwhile, a group of children in Gush Katif, the area slated for destruction in Sharon’s plan, are hoping to influence the decision of the UTJ rabbinical leadership in spiritual ways. They are gathering today for prayers for the coalition talks with the religious parties to fail. Gush Katif leaders are emphasizing the potential destruction of Gush Katif's flowering Torah institutions should the evacuation plan go ahead.