Whether he likes it or not, Sharon has realized United Torah
Jewry is the key to bringing Labor into the coalition.
Opposition within Likud ranks against including Labor in a
coalition together with Shinui to form a secular threesome is
too stiff for Sharon to overcome. The only way to bring in
Labor is to bring in UTJ.
But here lies a big problem that goes by the name Shinui. The
dream of various Likud figures to have Shinui sit in a
coalition together with UTJ is highly unrealistic. Although
Shinui, for its part, announced it would be willing to sit
with the Ashkenazi party in a single coalition, it issued a
long list of stipulations any political neophyte knows UTJ
would never accept.
They want to continue advancing the law providing for civil
marriage, to continue activity in the committee reevaluating
the military deferment law for yeshiva students and to
maintain the Interior Ministry's secular policies regarding
goyim. They are also vetoing the possibility of appointing
UTJ representatives to various posts, such as Chair of the
Finance Committee. Under such conditions it is ridiculous to
even entertain the notion of having UTJ sit in a coalition
with Shinui.
Now the ball is in Sharon's court. Either he chooses to have
UTJ and Labor join the Likud and the NRP or else he tries to
force Likud members to set up a secular government comprised
of just Labor and the Likud, which would mean he lacks a
majority of 61 MKs. The other alternative is to remain at
present with the current minority government, which proved
itself remarkably able during the second half of the summer
session.
The talks between UTJ and the Likud have not yet arrived at
the subject of which appointments UTJ would receive if it
joins the coalition, because to UTJ ideological matters are
far more important than portfolios and posts. Rectifying the
injustices in budget allocations is a much higher priority to
the chareidi public than appointments. Nevertheless the Likud
let it be known the Finance Committee chairmanship and the
Housing Ministry portfolio are open for discussion.
It seems Sharon is not interested in bringing Shas into the
government with or without Shinui. If he decides to send
Shinui into the opposition he would prefer to have Shas there
too, to make it a heterogeneous opposition with rifts and
quarrels and to keep Shinui from barking about a right wing-
chareidi government.
A Party Without Principles
The chareidi press and chareidi MKs have claimed, ever since
its inception, Shinui is a party without principles, a
spineless entity whose achievements are based solely on
hatred of chareidim and inciting the public against them.
Last week Shinui heads Lapid and Poraz suddenly announced
they would be willing to sit in a coalition together with
UTJ, thereby going back on campaign pledges repeated
innumerable times during and since the elections. Shinui has
demonstrated it is like all the other parties: its supreme
ideology is retaining a position of power.
To see clearly how Shinui is just a lot of hot air note a few
of its recent declarations. Two Shinui MKs, Polishok-Bloch
and Livni "dared" to say they were willing to consider
sitting with the chareidim in a coalition. Party Chairman
Tommy Lapid reacted furiously, saying there was no validity
to their statements and they lacked the authority to say
them.
But within days Lapid had totally disgraced himself.
Recently Lapid met with Shimon Peres in order to form a bloc
to bar any chareidi party from the government. At the end of
the meeting he announced Shinui would only lend a hand to the
setup of an enlightened, secular government.
But within days Lapid had made a fool of himself.
When the negotiations got underway with the various parties
Sharon said he was against ostracizing any party. Within
political ranks it was clear his statements were directed
toward Shinui. Lapid reacted by saying, "We do not agree to
sit with chareidim. We have a secular-civil agenda that is
completely different, not making it possible to sit
together."
But within days Lapid showed his words were worthless.
And at a meeting of the Shinui Council, attacking Shimon
Peres for his willingness to sit on a coalition together with
the chareidi parties, Lapid said, "Peres knows that to sit
with chareidim is an act of betrayal to the secular public.
But he doesn't care about the future, but rather his
post."
Just two weeks later Lapid betrayed his constituents based on
his own definition.
