As I advised The GoI will dissolve before the November conference
Minister of Industry and Trade Eli Yishai said this week that the party he represents, Shas, will not be able to remain in the coalition if the government promotes further Israeli withdrawals from Judea and Samaria.
Internal Gov’t Opposition to PA Prisoner Release
In an interview published in a Shas party publication, Minister Yishai said, “We have seen how Gaza, which we left, became a missile base. We cannot allow such a base in the middle of the country.”
Minister Yishai added that he doesn’t think coalition partner Yisrael Beiteinu will be able to remain.
Plans for withdrawal from most or all of Judea and Samaria have reportedly been under discussion at meetings between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. The plans, published in the media but not confirmed or denied, include withdrawal to Israel’s pre-1967 border and Arab control over parts of Jerusalem. Abbas and Olmert have been meeting every few weeks to work out details of collaboration and coordination ahead of a multinational Middle East summit in November, which is being organized by the United States.
In July, newly-installed President Shimon Peres quietly promoted a draft plan for the Jewish State to evacuate and transfer to the PA nearly the entire area of Judea and Samaria, along with several Arab-Israeli cities located within pre-1967 Israel. Peres presented his initiative to Prime Minister Olmert and to top Abbas aides soon after he took office as President. Prime Minister Olmert was said to be considering the plan and “agrees with much of its contents,” diplomatic sources said.
In the Shas newspaper interview, Minister Yishai added that he doesn’t think coalition partner Yisrael Beiteinu will be able to remain in the government either if Prime Minister Olmert presents the nation with a withdrawal scheme such as that attributed to him in the media.
The Prime Minister is already facing challenges to his diplomatic moves in the counter-terrorism arena from Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu.
On Monday, ministers from Shas said they would vote against a planned mass release of terrorist prisoners. According to a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister, Miri Eisin, Olmert offered to release certain PA prisoners during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins on Wednesday.
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) said that he and fellow Yisrael Beiteinu Minister Yitzchak Aharonovitch would oppose the measure. “It’s time… for the Palestinians to make gestures,” Lieberman said, “and arrest wanted terrorists, confiscate weapons, and stop their violence.”
“if the government promotes further Israeli withdrawals from Judea and Samaria”
Hah! Olmert has been promoting this all along, yet I don’t rad about any Shas ministers packing their bags. Shas is morally bankrupt. They gave us Oslo (as already noted by Yamit82), they supported the anti-Jew Peres for President of Israel, and they are propping up a corrupt, anti-Torah Prime minister who has a popular approval rating of some 7%. They did all this for money, money and money. I don’t believe a word they say.
Bill with Shas and the haraedi parties its all about money just money. Remember they allowed Oslo 1 amd voted to no avail against Oslo 2. Rav Ovadia Yoseph is the only Posek or (One who issues Halachic rulings,) is the only one who contradicts the Rambam on giving up territory to save life. I can say because I am not religious that he may be viewed as a great Posek in the Torah community but in my book he is an idiot and worse a betrayer of Israel for silver coin. He is not a nice guy, I met him only once and I felt repulsed by his presence. For money they will stay unless the voters of Shas so overwhelmingly make their views known.
Without Shas and Lieberman the government falls but it is doubtful at this juncture that either will leave willingly, they will concoct some reasons for staying like trying to save as much as they can from being given up or some such scenario/ We have all traveled down this road before! Haven’t we?
Just how much clout does the Shas party have?
Olmert and Abbas have been engaged in talks geared to Israel withdrawing from J & S for some time, yet Shas has said or done little.
For Shas to say they will not be able to remain in the coalition if the government promotes further Israeli withdrawals from Judea and Samaria is awfully weak.
Where were they when Olmert began these talks with Abbas to give J & S away?
What I see is talk and no action behind it. Where is Shas to at least try to fire up the public to get on side with their opposition to dealing with these murderous Jew hating Palestinians, let alone give J & S away?
While one can hope Shas recent public statement signals more aggressive action on their part to rally Israelis against the GOI on the issue of dealing with the Palestinians, until Shas actually does something but flap their lips, I don’t put much stock in what they have to say.