The Knesset voted against Sharon four times yesterday.
At the request of 40 MKs, the Prime Minister was forced to sit through the nearly three-hour session against corruption, and heard speaker after speaker malign him and his government. Several Likud MKs pointed out corruption in Labor as well.
"Of course they didn't find any evidence against Sharon [in last year's Greek island scandal investigation]," railed out MK Benny Elon, of the opposition National Union party. "When one employs Mafia methods, evidence can never be found against him. Mafioso are never tried for their real crimes, but only for minor infractions such as tax evasion - because they never leave a trail."
MK Amram Mitzna of Labor said, "The destruction of the political establishment is the greatest danger facing us. The public has totally lost its trust in politicians and political establishment, and this is a genuine danger to the democracy... I don't have to explain to you, Mr. Prime Minister, that everything begins and ends with personal example - and the personal example that you and your government are giving is a negative one. In the eyes of most of the public, you are contaminated with unworthy behavior... Forked-tongue activities mark your government's actions all the way: First you fire Deputy Minister Naomi Blumental for maintaining silence at a police interrogation, but then you give backing to those who are close to you [such as Sharon's son - ed. - when they do the same thing]; you ask for a report on illegal construction, and then you ignore it; etc., etc."
Earlier in the day, Mitzna admitted that Sharon's corrupt activities are being covered up in order to promote the disengagement plan. He told Arutz-7, "The price that we will pay for postponing the investigation of the Sharon corruption scandals - which was done in order not to hurt the disengagement plan - is too high. It will be very hard to neutralize the harm that will be caused to Israeli politics and public life because of this. The elements that are supposed to deal with this are walking on tippy-toe in order to not to harm the [disengagement] plan - causing the Israeli public to lose all trust in politicians."
Knesset Law Committee Chairman Michael Eitan (Likud) cried out against the "politicization" of the war against corruption. He asked why not a word is mentioned in the media or by left-wing politicians against the fact that Housing Minister Yitzchak Herzog of Labor was accused by the former State Comptroller of "heading an apparatus that trampled the rule of law."
Eitan further noted that Herzog headed Ehud Barak's campaign featuring fraudulent fund-raising associations: "He took tens of thousands of shekels that had been earmarked for orphans and widows and used them [for political purposes] - and then he went on to become Cabinet Secretary and then Housing Minister, and yet no one cries out. Only when some minor level ministerial employee is appointed is there a hullabaloo. The fight against corruption will not succeed unless it is waged on an ethical basis."
Prime Minister Sharon was the last speaker, and refused to accept any responsibility for government corruption: "I heard some worthy remarks here, but I also heard some real nonsense and foolishness. After all, you all look in the mirror sometimes, and see yourselves... I am glad you had a chance to release [steam] on this topic - and now please give the Israeli public a chance to enjoy a week free of besmirching. It will be hard, but at least try... The campaign against corruption has no goal other than to besmirch the Likud. The Likud won the election, has a third of the members in this house... This campaign against corruption is one of double standards, and its purpose is to undermine the popular vote... I tell you that there will not be two laws, one for the Likud and one for the other parties. It cannot be that whatever is accepted in other parties, immediately becomes colored with the accusation of corruption when it is done in the Likud."
The Knesset then voted on the Prime Minister's speech - and rejected it by a 43-30 margin.
Earlier in yesterday's Knesset schedule, the government suffered losses in three no-confidence motions. As many as 38 MKs voted against the government - which continues to stand, however, because 61 MKs are required in order to topple it.