A defeat of the bill, which appeared likely until the last moment, would have been a slap in the face for Prime Minister Sharon, who has all but ordered the relevant committees to have the bill ready for final Knesset readings this week. Muhammed Barakeh, who had objected to the bill all along and at the end said he would abstain, finally agreed to vote in favor of the bill.
He explained that the settlers have no right to be where they are, and that he had no intention of going along with the right-wing strategy of delaying the bill: "There's no place for the settlers, not now and not in the future. I'm not in favor of giving them money, I'm in favor of evacuating them... If it's a question of evacuation or money for the settlers, then let them take the money and get out of there."
His vote prompted angry jeers from right-wing members of the committee. Likud MK Michael Gorolovsky accused Barakeh, a member of the opposition, of working in tandem with the government to transfer Jews from their homes. Barakeh said, "You are corrupt, a racist and a zero! Did you hear me? You can get out of here!" Gorolovsky said, "Go back to Syria!" and Barakeh countered, "You go back to Russia."
Barakeh's party colleague MK Ahmed Tibi said that Barakeh's vote was "courageous and responsible, and it thwarts the plan of the settlers and the right-wing and paves the way for the evacuation of the settlements in Gaza."
Left-wing MK Chaim Oron (Meretz) said, "The right-wing proved today that all their talk of a democratic referendum has no basis." The right-wing call for a referendum generally specifies that the necessary majority be determined in a manner that would offset the voice of Arabs, in order that the Jewish People be empowered to decide their own future.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said, "While the Prime Minister embraces Abu Mazen and Dahlan in Sharm a-Sheikh, he uses Barakeh to pass a law for the uprooting of the Jews of Gush Katif [and northern Shomron – ed.]. They are two of a kind. Sharon is the ruler of Israel by the graces of the Arabs."
MK Benny Elon (National Union) said, "Today's vote shows the illegitimacy of the law to uproot Jews. Sharon uproots Jews by a margin of one vote that supports Hamas and the enemy."
Earlier today, it was reported that a defeat of the bill would not have been final, nor would it have meant the loss of the improvements inserted by the Finance Committee.
The bill details the terms by which the 8,500 residents of Gush Katif and northern Shomron are to be compensated for their homes and livelihoods. The Finance Committee has spent many long days formulating improvements in these terms.
Knesset legal counsel Anna Schneider issued a special advisory opinion yesterday, according to which the committee could have rejected the bill today and yet still retain the improvements it had suggested. She said that if the committee turns down the bill, the original version - termed "draconian" by several Knesset Members - would be voted on in the Knesset, where it will certainly pass. The committee would then be able to request the right to determine which version of the bill would be accepted: the original law, or the improved version. This would require another review of the bill, and would take approximately a week.
The bill has been the subject of marathon meetings over the past number of weeks, and especially in the last week. Even MKs Avraham Shochat (Labor) and Chaim Oron (Meretz-Yachad) agreed that the bill's unfair treatment of the residents slated for expulsion must be rectified. The committee added approximately a billion shekels to the total compensation package, bringing it to 3.8 billion shekels.
As of early this afternoon, the committee was deadlocked, meaning that the bill was headed for defeat. Opposing the bill were MK Daniel Ben-Lulu of the Likud, who denied rumors today that he was planning to abstain, though he was heavily pressured to do so by the Prime Minister's staffers; Likud MKs Katz, Chazan, Kara, and Gurolovsky; Shas MKs Dahan and Yitzchak Cohen; Nissan Slomiansky (NRP); and Benny Elon (National Union).
Voting for the bill were Chairman Yaakov Litzman (Agudat Yisrael), who returns to the Knesset today after sitting shiva for his deceased mother, Labor MKs Shochat, Tamir and Yatom, Meretz MK Oron, Likud MKs Aflalo and Avraham, and Shinui MKs Brizon and Ratzhabi - and Barakeh.
A spokesman for MK Litzman (pictured above) said he is not obligated to Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv's ruling of yesterday, and would therefore vote in favor of the bill. Rabbi Elyashiv, who heads the Degel HaTorah faction's Torah Sages Council, stated that a clause for a referendum must be included in the proposed bill – or else the bill should be opposed. The spokesman said that Litzman is obligated only to the rulings of the Gerrer Rebbe. The latter is opposed to a referendum, even if it is stipulated that referenda be held only on Land of Israel issues.
He explained that the settlers have no right to be where they are, and that he had no intention of going along with the right-wing strategy of delaying the bill: "There's no place for the settlers, not now and not in the future. I'm not in favor of giving them money, I'm in favor of evacuating them... If it's a question of evacuation or money for the settlers, then let them take the money and get out of there."
His vote prompted angry jeers from right-wing members of the committee. Likud MK Michael Gorolovsky accused Barakeh, a member of the opposition, of working in tandem with the government to transfer Jews from their homes. Barakeh said, "You are corrupt, a racist and a zero! Did you hear me? You can get out of here!" Gorolovsky said, "Go back to Syria!" and Barakeh countered, "You go back to Russia."
Barakeh's party colleague MK Ahmed Tibi said that Barakeh's vote was "courageous and responsible, and it thwarts the plan of the settlers and the right-wing and paves the way for the evacuation of the settlements in Gaza."
Left-wing MK Chaim Oron (Meretz) said, "The right-wing proved today that all their talk of a democratic referendum has no basis." The right-wing call for a referendum generally specifies that the necessary majority be determined in a manner that would offset the voice of Arabs, in order that the Jewish People be empowered to decide their own future.
MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said, "While the Prime Minister embraces Abu Mazen and Dahlan in Sharm a-Sheikh, he uses Barakeh to pass a law for the uprooting of the Jews of Gush Katif [and northern Shomron – ed.]. They are two of a kind. Sharon is the ruler of Israel by the graces of the Arabs."
MK Benny Elon (National Union) said, "Today's vote shows the illegitimacy of the law to uproot Jews. Sharon uproots Jews by a margin of one vote that supports Hamas and the enemy."
Earlier today, it was reported that a defeat of the bill would not have been final, nor would it have meant the loss of the improvements inserted by the Finance Committee.
The bill details the terms by which the 8,500 residents of Gush Katif and northern Shomron are to be compensated for their homes and livelihoods. The Finance Committee has spent many long days formulating improvements in these terms.
Knesset legal counsel Anna Schneider issued a special advisory opinion yesterday, according to which the committee could have rejected the bill today and yet still retain the improvements it had suggested. She said that if the committee turns down the bill, the original version - termed "draconian" by several Knesset Members - would be voted on in the Knesset, where it will certainly pass. The committee would then be able to request the right to determine which version of the bill would be accepted: the original law, or the improved version. This would require another review of the bill, and would take approximately a week.
The bill has been the subject of marathon meetings over the past number of weeks, and especially in the last week. Even MKs Avraham Shochat (Labor) and Chaim Oron (Meretz-Yachad) agreed that the bill's unfair treatment of the residents slated for expulsion must be rectified. The committee added approximately a billion shekels to the total compensation package, bringing it to 3.8 billion shekels.
As of early this afternoon, the committee was deadlocked, meaning that the bill was headed for defeat. Opposing the bill were MK Daniel Ben-Lulu of the Likud, who denied rumors today that he was planning to abstain, though he was heavily pressured to do so by the Prime Minister's staffers; Likud MKs Katz, Chazan, Kara, and Gurolovsky; Shas MKs Dahan and Yitzchak Cohen; Nissan Slomiansky (NRP); and Benny Elon (National Union).
Voting for the bill were Chairman Yaakov Litzman (Agudat Yisrael), who returns to the Knesset today after sitting shiva for his deceased mother, Labor MKs Shochat, Tamir and Yatom, Meretz MK Oron, Likud MKs Aflalo and Avraham, and Shinui MKs Brizon and Ratzhabi - and Barakeh.
A spokesman for MK Litzman (pictured above) said he is not obligated to Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv's ruling of yesterday, and would therefore vote in favor of the bill. Rabbi Elyashiv, who heads the Degel HaTorah faction's Torah Sages Council, stated that a clause for a referendum must be included in the proposed bill – or else the bill should be opposed. The spokesman said that Litzman is obligated only to the rulings of the Gerrer Rebbe. The latter is opposed to a referendum, even if it is stipulated that referenda be held only on Land of Israel issues.