The government, as presently formulated, does not include three important members of the nationalist camp: the National Religious Party, David Levy\'s Gesher party (which broke away from One Israel and became a recognized independent Knesset faction today), and the newly-right wing Center Party. The Center Party, which originally numbered six MKs, three from the right and three from the left, now numbers five MKs - all formerly of right-wing parties. Of the three original left-wing members, two (Shachak and Savir) have resigned from the Knesset, and one - Dalia Rabin-Pelossof - has become a one-MK faction named the New Way, and she will serve as Deputy Defense Minister in the unity government.
Ariel Sharon told NRP leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy today that he will \"make every effort to bring the NRP into the government.\" Rabbi Levy\'s answer was a cold, \"We\'ll see.\" Levy told Arutz-7 today that the party will vote in favor of the government today, \"because the People of Israel needs a government - and then we will serve as an opposition: We will support the government when we agree with it, and will vote against it on the other issues.\"
Regarding the unsuccessful coalition negotiations, Levy said,
\"I agree that there was room for us to compromise; the question of course is to what extent - but this is not the point. The point was that the Likud did not want us in the government. I am experienced in negotiations of this nature, and they just did not want us in. Sharon called me last night at 1 AM, and told me what he reads in the newspapers, that we are divided amongst ourselves, etc. - but this is totally not true; we made the decision collectively... We stood strong on important issues, such as how the country\'s Judaism will look. It was a bad mistake for the Likud to tell us that the NRP would have nothing to say about the direction of the country\'s Torah matters - not the Chief Rabbinate, not the Chief Rabbinate Council, not the appointment of rabbis, not the Yeshiva world, etc. This was the first time that we were told that we would have nothing to do with these matters. So I believe that our decision [not to join the government under these conditions] was correct... So we\'ll be in the opposition; it\'s not the end of the world - sometimes parties get stronger that way...\"
President Moshe Katzav expressed disappointment that the NRP is not included in the government. \"They accepted the guidelines of the unity government,\" he said, \"as did the other parties, and so it is unfortunate that in the end, they are not in.\"
Ha\'aretz quoted anonymous Likud members to the effect that leaving out the NRP and others marks \"the beginning of the end of the Sharon government.\" The sources said, \"It won\'t take long for problems to appear between Sharon and Peres, and in a matter of months Labor could pull out of the government. Who is Sharon going to turn to then? To the NRP, Center and Gesher. But after what he has done, they\'ll be in no mood.\"
Ariel Sharon told NRP leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy today that he will \"make every effort to bring the NRP into the government.\" Rabbi Levy\'s answer was a cold, \"We\'ll see.\" Levy told Arutz-7 today that the party will vote in favor of the government today, \"because the People of Israel needs a government - and then we will serve as an opposition: We will support the government when we agree with it, and will vote against it on the other issues.\"
Regarding the unsuccessful coalition negotiations, Levy said,
\"I agree that there was room for us to compromise; the question of course is to what extent - but this is not the point. The point was that the Likud did not want us in the government. I am experienced in negotiations of this nature, and they just did not want us in. Sharon called me last night at 1 AM, and told me what he reads in the newspapers, that we are divided amongst ourselves, etc. - but this is totally not true; we made the decision collectively... We stood strong on important issues, such as how the country\'s Judaism will look. It was a bad mistake for the Likud to tell us that the NRP would have nothing to say about the direction of the country\'s Torah matters - not the Chief Rabbinate, not the Chief Rabbinate Council, not the appointment of rabbis, not the Yeshiva world, etc. This was the first time that we were told that we would have nothing to do with these matters. So I believe that our decision [not to join the government under these conditions] was correct... So we\'ll be in the opposition; it\'s not the end of the world - sometimes parties get stronger that way...\"
President Moshe Katzav expressed disappointment that the NRP is not included in the government. \"They accepted the guidelines of the unity government,\" he said, \"as did the other parties, and so it is unfortunate that in the end, they are not in.\"
Ha\'aretz quoted anonymous Likud members to the effect that leaving out the NRP and others marks \"the beginning of the end of the Sharon government.\" The sources said, \"It won\'t take long for problems to appear between Sharon and Peres, and in a matter of months Labor could pull out of the government. Who is Sharon going to turn to then? To the NRP, Center and Gesher. But after what he has done, they\'ll be in no mood.\"