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Posted on 11/08/2004 1:58:01 PM PST by Alouette
The National Religious Party's executive committee voted nearly unanimously to quit Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition on Monday, leaving Sharon with a minority coalition of only 55 Likud and Shinui MKs.
Sharon met with the faction at the Prime Minister's Office and asked them to remain in the coalition for at least a couple more weeks in light of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's impending death and the problems passing the 2005 state budget. But the NRP MKs said they had no reason to remain in the coalition as long as there is no chance that Sharon will support a referendum on his unilateral disengagement plan.
"It makes no sense for you to leave at a time when there are so many changes and developments taking place," Sharon told NRP MKs. "There is no reason to go when no concrete steps have been taken yet to implement disengagement."
Sharon added that without the NRP, there will be no one left in the government to safeguard matters of religion and state. But Sharon rejected the three options the MKs said would have allowed the NRP to remain in the coalition: launching a referendum, freezing disengagement, or initiating early elections ahead of any withdrawals from settlements in the Gaza Strip.
The NRP's departure will become official on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. when the faction's two-week referendum ultimatum expires. Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev's resignation will take effect on Thursday, 48 hours later, barring a last-minute change.
"We decided that this is the time for the faction to use its power to quit the coalition in order to obtain maximum political results," Orlev told the executive committee at the Knesset. "Sharon still has a chance to change his mind. But unless he does, we will work to bring about early elections before disengagement is implemented."
Orlev said he had no regrets about keeping the faction in the coalition for as long as he did, saying that remaining in the government allowed him to fight against disengagement on behalf of Gaza Strip settlers. He said that circumstances have changed now because he believes that Sharon can no longer bring Labor or haredi parties into the government.
National Religious Party chairman Effi Eitam, who quit the government in June, compared Orlev to a man who has lost his way. He said he is glad that the faction has reunified in the opposition in order to fight against Sharon.
"When you consider what this stubborn man, Sharon, has done all our internal disputes are irrelevant," Eitam said. "We are now all on the right side of the struggle, aiming to send the man [Sharon] home and bring early elections as soon as possible."
The only vote against the NRP's departure in the executive committee belonged to former ambassador to Switzerland Yitzhak Meir, who made an impassioned plea to Orlev to reconsider. Meir, who cast the only NRP vote against Eitam becoming party chairman two years ago, noted the posters plastered across Jerusalem calling for Orlev to quit and said Orlev must resist the temptation to surrender to the extreme right.
"I understand why you feel pressured to leave," Meir told Orlev. "But this path that the NRP is taking is not the way of the NRP that used to be."
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Damn!
When I first read your post, I thought it said "NPR votes to leave the government".
I was thinking "Wow! That would be so un-like NPR to wean itself off any govt hand-out".
But then I re-read the sentence.
Never mind...
Wishful thinking? I read the title as NPR.
And Bibi? I have been reading reports, and I have a hunch he will stay in the government.
Also tomorrow there will be a no-confidence vote in the Knesset (the first since the passage of the disengagement plan). It will be interesting to see how that goes.
Yawn. They'll be back as soon as they're offered enough money, and in the meantime they won't vote against Sharon in the no confidence votes.
This would be a great time for Netanyahu to form a government. But I confess I don't know how the political situation is shaping up.
I'm also nervous that Tony Blair has once again pressured Bush into renewing the "peace process," whatever that means this time. Nothing good can come of that.
I don't think Blair can "pressure" GWB into anything. Once Arafat assumes room temp, I'm sure the "peace process" will reemerge, but GWB's actions will be his own.
My first impression on seeing the headline was that National Public Radio was going to withdraw from the government and become a private broadcasting company. We should be so lucky!
Heh heh... now Sharon will probably have to call early elections, and may win an outright majority. Gosh, they've really finished his political career. :')
Haha! But don't you know it's our civic responsibility to subsidize leftist propaganda?
I have a feeling you will be right.
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