Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has signed an agreement with Shinui leaders, MK Tommy Lapid and MK Avraham Poraz, guaranteeing Shinui’s support for the state budget, thereby precluding a collapse of the government and the need to call elections.
Putting the Disengagement Plan for Gush Katif and northern Samaria ahead of the party’s traditional antagonism toward allocating government funds to Haredi parties, Shinui leaders swallowed an appropriation of NIS 290 million to the Haredi sectors. In exchange, Shinui obtained a commitment for a NIS 700 million allocation for released soldiers, students, the environment, and the arts and sciences.
Part of the deal reached Saturday night at Sharon’s Sycamore ranch, however, allows the Shinui MKs to vote against the paragraph in the bill allocating money to the Haredi sector.
Shinui leader Tommy Lapid said after the meeting with Sharon that “Shinui’s concern for executing the disengagement in a continuation of the peace process was the deciding factor when we were given an opportunity to support matters close to our hearts and important for the State.”
Prior to the meeting at Sharon’s ranch Lapid and Poraz announced that Shinui would not support the budget so long as the party is not invited to join the governing coalition and the allocation to the United Torah Judaism party is not cancelled.
Government officials expressed real concern prior to the meeting that, without Shinui’s support for the budget, new elections would have to be called, jeopardizing the government's plans for Gush Katif and Samaria. Under Israeli law, failure to approve the state budget by March 31 automatically results in new parliamentary elections.
Despite the impression that with a majority voting in favor of the budget bill there is no way now to bring down the government before the Disengagement Plan is carried out, MK Uzi Landau, who leads a group of 13 Likud MKs opposed to the plan, said he would not relent in his efforts to thwart the plan, calling it “dangerous” for the State of Israel.
“The danger of the disengagement is great for Israel, because the prime minister’s policy is leading towards additional withdrawals from the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem,” a policy that he is trying to cloud “with invented stories of supposed American obligations” to Israel regarding building in and retaining large settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria.
MK Effie Eitam of the Religious Zionism party said, “Sharon bought with the taxpayers’ money the continuation of his dictatorial rule in Israel. The father of corruption continues in his methodical campaign of thievery. After he stole the votes of right-wing voters, he continues to rob the public treasury in order to ensure the continuation of his rule.”
Shas party leader MK Eli Yishai attacked Lapid, saying that “he displayed spineless leadership and proved that he’s a virtual opposition. The chairman of the ‘party of the ratings’ is supporting a criminal, a cruel budget and is stealing with his own hands” the right of the poor and underprivileged to survive.
Even Dalia Itzik, Communications Minister representing the Labor party, had harsh words for Shinui: “The dubious principles of the Shinui party were known to us long ago. Now we also know how much they cost.”
Putting the Disengagement Plan for Gush Katif and northern Samaria ahead of the party’s traditional antagonism toward allocating government funds to Haredi parties, Shinui leaders swallowed an appropriation of NIS 290 million to the Haredi sectors. In exchange, Shinui obtained a commitment for a NIS 700 million allocation for released soldiers, students, the environment, and the arts and sciences.
Part of the deal reached Saturday night at Sharon’s Sycamore ranch, however, allows the Shinui MKs to vote against the paragraph in the bill allocating money to the Haredi sector.
Shinui leader Tommy Lapid said after the meeting with Sharon that “Shinui’s concern for executing the disengagement in a continuation of the peace process was the deciding factor when we were given an opportunity to support matters close to our hearts and important for the State.”
Prior to the meeting at Sharon’s ranch Lapid and Poraz announced that Shinui would not support the budget so long as the party is not invited to join the governing coalition and the allocation to the United Torah Judaism party is not cancelled.
Government officials expressed real concern prior to the meeting that, without Shinui’s support for the budget, new elections would have to be called, jeopardizing the government's plans for Gush Katif and Samaria. Under Israeli law, failure to approve the state budget by March 31 automatically results in new parliamentary elections.
Despite the impression that with a majority voting in favor of the budget bill there is no way now to bring down the government before the Disengagement Plan is carried out, MK Uzi Landau, who leads a group of 13 Likud MKs opposed to the plan, said he would not relent in his efforts to thwart the plan, calling it “dangerous” for the State of Israel.
“The danger of the disengagement is great for Israel, because the prime minister’s policy is leading towards additional withdrawals from the Golan Heights, the Jordan Valley and Jerusalem,” a policy that he is trying to cloud “with invented stories of supposed American obligations” to Israel regarding building in and retaining large settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria.
MK Effie Eitam of the Religious Zionism party said, “Sharon bought with the taxpayers’ money the continuation of his dictatorial rule in Israel. The father of corruption continues in his methodical campaign of thievery. After he stole the votes of right-wing voters, he continues to rob the public treasury in order to ensure the continuation of his rule.”
Shas party leader MK Eli Yishai attacked Lapid, saying that “he displayed spineless leadership and proved that he’s a virtual opposition. The chairman of the ‘party of the ratings’ is supporting a criminal, a cruel budget and is stealing with his own hands” the right of the poor and underprivileged to survive.
Even Dalia Itzik, Communications Minister representing the Labor party, had harsh words for Shinui: “The dubious principles of the Shinui party were known to us long ago. Now we also know how much they cost.”