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2 Shevat 5765 - January 12, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Degel HaTorah to Join Government for Three-Month Trial Period

By Betzalel Kahn, M. Plaut and Yated Ne'eman Staff

Only with support from the far Left and abstentions from Arab MKs was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon able to establish a new governing coalition on Monday. The Knesset voted 58-56 to approve the appointment to the cabinet of eight new ministers from the Labor Party and another minister from the Likud.

The 64-member coalition now includes Labor and United Torah Judaism. However 13 members of the Likud actually voted against the government, so that it was only support from five Yachad Party MKs and the abstention of two United Arab List MKs that enabled Sharon to win the vote.

The 13 Likud MKs who oppose disengagement wanted to prevent the establishment of the new government, even at the risk of toppling it.

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, an opponent of disengagement, abstained in the vote, whereas coalition chairman Gideon Sa'ar, who also opposes disengagement, voted in favor. Yachad MK Yossi Sarid abstained after it became clear that Sharon would have a majority without him.

Shinui MK Yossi Paritzky, who has been ostracized from his party, cast his vote in favor of the government. National Union MK Michael Nudelman also supported the government, whereas Am Echad MK David Tal abstained.

Voting against were Shinui (14), Shas (11), the National Union (6), the National Religious Party (6), Balad (3) and Hadash (3), and 13 from Likud.

Abstaining were UAL (2), one from Yachad, one from Likud, one from Am Echad, and one from UTJ. Rabbi Meir Porush surprised everyone when he abstained.

Degel HaTorah representatives MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz and MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni only committed to a trial period of three months during which they will not accept any posts in the Knesset. At the end of this period the coalition agreement will be reevaluated to see if it was kept.

Rabbi Litzman will immediately assume the chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee. Rabbi Porush was slated to become a deputy minister, but that may be postponed or cancelled since he abstained on the confidence vote.

The question of whether United Torah Jewry should join the coalition was brought before Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah based on a decision by Maran HaRav Eliashiv shlita who said if UTJ does join, the two Degel HaTorah representatives should not accept any portfolios or committee appointments until the government carries out its obligations.

Before the decision was finalized, Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah Secretary Rabbi Avrohom Rubinstein visited the homes of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah members and then informed Maran HaRav Eliashiv of their decision to instruct the Degel HaTorah MKs to sign the coalition agreement following a few changes.

The agreement worked out between UTJ and representatives from the Prime Minister's Office included numerous pledges starting with a commitment by the government to preserve the status quo on religious issues and, if religious interests are harmed, to find a way to rectify the problem. The agreement also calls for applying coalition discipline to counter private legislative proposals that harm the status quo.

According to another paragraph, if graves or human bones are uncovered during archaeological excavations at any site in the country a solution will be found to prevent harming the gravesites. If necessary a ministerial committee will even be set up to assess legal aspects and to see whether it is possible to alter or improve the current legal arrangement.

As part of the agreement, the government pledges to enforce existing legislation regarding religious issues and protect the lifestyles of the chareidi and national-religious sectors in areas where they constitute a majority of the local population. Another paragraph determines an employee may not be discriminated against because he keeps Shabbos and that the government will honor Shabbos and Jewish holidays. There will be a prohibition against opening malls on Shabbos.

The most important parts of the agreement from the perspective of the rabbonim addressed the issue of chareidi education and religious services in the State of Israel. Likud and UTJ representatives spent days drafting these paragraphs to preclude the possibility of interpreting them in a manner that allows the government to renege on its obligations in these areas.

According to the agreement, the chareidi education system will retain its organizational and pedagogical autonomy, its unique status and its funding. A joint team whose appointed members must be approved must work to implement these objectives, completing the task within three months.

Another paragraph discusses implementing the government's decision to set up an independent body that would handle Torah institutions of high school students—their funding, oversight and the associated criteria; the possibility of including other ages as part of the Torah institutions will also be assessed.

Another important paragraph addresses state religious services. The agreement grants 75 days to reach a decision on the direction religious services in the State of Israel will take, including legislation as needed, government decisions, and the required funding. In addition the government has 14 days to formulate an interim arrangement for managing religious services, appointments, budgeting and constructing religious facilities, including a government decision if necessary.

No law or fundamental laws may be submitted without the consent of UTJ and the election law may not be changed, including raising the minimal cutoff point.

The remainder of the coalition agreement deals with the agreement already signed between party representatives and the government before the vote on the state budget. This agreement restores a portion of the cuts imposed on the chareidi sector over the past two years and stipulates that no cuts may be placed on the chareidi sector alone. The funding to be restored includes NIS 140 million for yeshivas and kollelim, NIS 150 million for kindergartens, transportation for students, seminaries, insurance for students, Jewish culture and talmudei Torah; furthermore the 15 percent budget cut that only applied to chareidi kindergartens will be officially cancelled.

It is hoped that the Prime Minister upholds the promises made in the coalition agreement.

 

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