At deliberations over the change in the Basic Law of
Government which enabled the broadening of the Government to
allow more Cabinet Ministers (to 24 from the original 18),
UTJ representatives did not hide their opposition to the Law
nor the fact that they have been compelled to support it
because of their obligation under the Coalition agreement.
Opposition to this measure was widespread, if not strong. The
Basic Laws were supposed to be fixed principles which are not
to be changed so easily, and especially not for less-than-
momentous reasons. In this case the reasons are purely
politics in the worst sense of the word. Barak is changing
the law just to have enough jobs to dish out, and not for any
reason that has to do with the substance of the law or good
government.
MKs Rabbi Porush, Rabbi Ravitz and Rabbi Gafni, each in his
own Style, expressed it in the following:
Rabbi Porush: "From the first days of the Government's
existence, Ministers Beilin and Sarid have made declarations
which annoy the Torah-observant community as well as mock the
Coalition agreements. A common theme links the proposed law
to broaden the Government with Sarid's and Beilin's remarks:
a lack of values, the lack of respect for agreements and for
the Basic Laws. We are voting for the proposal because we
honor our agreements. But please hand me a glass of water and
some pills against nausea."
He then reminded his listeners that during the election
campaign the Prime Minster promised to effect a change in the
political, social and economic life of the country. "And lo
and behold, the first change they introduce is a change in
the Basic Law for the sake of the convenience of a narrow-
minded party. The Government is acting very cynically,
informing the public that the actual meaning of the change
which it was promised is: mockery for principles. Shame on
such a contempt for values and the disavowal of the Basic
Laws."
Rabbi Porush noted, "Although the Coalition rests on 73
Knesset members, in reality, UTJ did it a great service by
not accepting any active positions or portfolios. Thus if the
5 members of the UTJ faction are eliminated, the coalition
will have 68 members, precisely the amount of MK's in the
former coalition. But the former Government sufficed with 18
ministers and six deputy ministers [as provided in the Basic
Law], and in that manner, honored the Basic Law."
In the beginning of his remarks, he said: "UTJ will
apparently vote for the law, because all Coalition members
must support the agreement between the parties. In addition,
we expect the remaining members of the Coalition to behave
similarly on other issues," he said, clearly referring to
Sarid and Beilin and others who might try to follow them.
Rabbi Ravitz said: "One good thing results from the Law to
Broaden the Government: it enables the changing of a Basic
Law when circumstances indicate that such a change is
necessary. From now on, the Basic Law isn't something
sacrosanct and untouchable." He added, "Until now, it was
forbidden to change a Basic Law after the members of the
Knesset had accepted it by means of a majority of votes and
legislated it into law. Now, when circumstances bode for a
change in a Basic Law, we see that it can, indeed, can be
changed."
Rabbi Ravitz reminded his listeners that UTJ did not take any
positions in the Government and that coalition negotiations
with UTJ focused only on ideological issues, in order to
guarantee the ideal most important to the Jewish nation: the
safekeeping of the status of the Torah world.
"Therefore, it is difficult to understand how parties who
have ministers and deputy minters place the Prime Minster in
an impossible situation by demanding more and more positions,
obligating the presentation of the proposed law and the
changing of the Basic Law in a manner which enables the
expansion of the Government."
Rabbi Gafni wasn't sparing in his criticism of the law: "My
friends in the Left, especially those of Meretz, offered me a
very lengthy explanation about the importance of the Basic
Laws [on other occasions when we wanted to amend them]. The
truth is that I didn't really understand. I told them: `We
have a set of laws which does not change with circumstances
nor according to whims. Our law enjoins us to observe
Shabbos, so we observe Shabbos. That's the way it was 3000
years ago, 200 years ago, and now. Our laws can't be changed
by a majority of 61 just because Meretz has joined the
coalition. We don't change. That's the way we have been
raised and that's how we raise our children.' I told them
this, and they told me that the Basic Laws, the constitution,
also can't change. They explained to me with zeal that Basic
Laws are not changed. I didn't understand. But they are
enlightened people. Yes, Meretzniks are enlightened. The
media also backs them constantly, so I figured that this time
they were serious.
"Once there was a Basic Law to which we [the chareidim]
agreed: Freedom of Employment. When it became clear that the
law wasn't referring to the importation of non-kosher meat,
we said that since the law doesn't mean that, and we were the
legislators, we would amend it. Rabin proposed the amendment,
and Meretz and Amnon Rubinstein, who was supposed to be the
head of the Constitution Committee, rose to the podium and
yelled: `A Basic Law! Changing it undermines the rule of
law.' But the legislator, in passing that law, was not
referring to the Law of the Importation of Non-kosher Meat.
He was referring to the Freedom of Employment Law. And we,
the blacks, the chareidim, yelled at him, while he, the
enlightened one, stood there and explained that Basic Laws
simply are not amended. Okay. I was certain, then, that such
was really the case, and that he was speaking in all
seriousness. Suddenly, I reach this Knesset and see that
they're about out to amend a Basic Law. Gevald! A
Basic Law. Amnon Rubinstein, Yossi Sarid, Ran Cohen, Zehava
Golan. They're sleeping. Well, anyway, they're going to amend
a Basic Law. Why? What happened?"
Rabbi Gafni then proceeded to criticize the law: "In the
previous Knesset the Coalition had 8 factions and 18
ministers. Now there are 6 factions -- two less than before --
and the number of ministers must be increased by 6. The
Government must be expanded, and so they have to break the
`sacrosanct principle' of the Basic Law -- to waste money, to
harm the unemployed, to take money from education, so that
Yossi Sarid can be a minister. Nu, so what! Let him
give up his position for the sake of Zehava Golan, so that
there should be another woman in the Government. Davka
he has to be a minister? And so they expand and amend a Basic
Law. The truth is that I simply don't understand why the
number of ministers should be expanded. Who needs more deputy
ministers? Why waste money? Why undermine the rule of the law
and the principle of the Basic Law?
"If Netanyahu had done something like that," Rabbi Gafni
added, "the media would have descended upon him and wouldn't
have left him alone. But for the Left, everything is
legitimate. Had Netanyahu expanded his Government to include
24 ministers and had increased the number of deputy ministers
and hadn't been afraid of the media, he would still be Prime
Minister."
Blumenthal, in a remark from the bleachers: "The Police would
have investigated him for bribery."
Rabbi Gafni: "If the official clerks of the Treasury
were to say that there's no money in the reserves, Netanyahu
would have replied: `So what can we do? There's no money.'
But when the Labor party rises to power with Meretz, the
officials in the Treasury say: `There is money in
reserve.'
"Now to the central point: For two months the media has been
silent. Imagine what would have happened if Netanyahu had
appointed Rabbi Porush as one of the ministers in the 24-
minister quota. Mabat would have opened with: `The chareidim
are taking money from the unemployed.'
"During the past three years and especially as the elections
were approaching, we rose every morning to attacks against
the chareidim. Every day a new affair. . . I would look at my
myself in mirror every day to see whether I was really such a
monster. OK not so bad. For the last two months I was
considered rather nice. I open Ma'ariv. I open
Yediot and Haaretz, and there are no attacks
against the chareidim. Fine, we've become agreeable because
we're in the coalition with Mapai. It's about time that the
Likud learned from Mapai how to gain control."
