The preamble to the coalition agreement signed between United
Torah Jewry and the Likud last Thursday in Tel Aviv reads as
follows:
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would like to bring UTJ and other
parties into the government and the coalition. As such the
respective sides have reached the coalition agreement
detailed below.
Attached to this agreement, as an integral part of it, is the
appendix regarding the coalition's work guidelines in the
Knesset. Additional, forthcoming agreements will not alter
this agreement.
(We have translated just the sections that deal with the
religious issues.)
6.1 The government will make every effort to reach a broad
agreement on the issues in dispute.
6.2 The status quo on the issue of religion will be
preserved. If any of these issues is harmed the government
will seek ways to rectify the matter.
6.3 In the event of private legislative proposals that stand
to alter the status quo on religious issues, coalition
discipline will be enforced to remove them from the agenda
unless all coalition parties consent.
6.4 The government will initiate activities to research the
history of Eretz Yisroel and Am Yisroel, including
archaeological excavations. Based on a concern for the honor
of the dead, in places where graves or human bones are
discovered continued work at the site will be in accordance
with a government arrangement subject to the law.
If necessary a ministerial committee will be set up to
evaluate the legal situation in the matter based on an
assessment of the issue of the honor of the dead according to
the Jewish religion and other religions, and the committee
will recommend whether and how changes or improvement may be
made in the existing legal arrangement.
6.5 As part of the preservation of the legal order the
government will take steps toward the proper enforcement of
existing legislation on religious issues.
6.6 No harm will be done to the lifestyles of the chareidi
and national-religious sectors in distinctly chareidi and
national-religious areas where they constitute the
majority.
6.7 An employee may not be discriminated against for
observing Shabbos.
6.8 The government will honor Shabbos and Jewish holidays.
6.9 UTJ expresses its dismay over the [lack of] Jewish
character in the State of Israel following increasing
breaches in commercial activity on Shabbos and Jewish
holidays. The Likud and its head will assess UTJ's claims
regarding this matter and its demands to act on this
issue.
6.10 During this term in the 16th Knesset the minimum
percentage of votes for the Knesset elections will not be
raised and the local voting system will not be altered
without the consent of UTJ.
6.11 The independence and unique status of chareidi education
in its various forms in the education system will be
preserved. Since the recommendations of the National Task
Force for the Advancement of Education in Israel (heretofore
"the Committee") are about to be released it has been agreed
that a team will be set up whose composition will be
determined by consent and whose objective will be to prevent
harming the organizational and educational independence, the
unique status and the budget of chareidi education. The team
will be set up shortly after the publication of the Committee
recommendations and will complete its task within three
months from the day of its formation.
6.12 The joint team set up in Paragraph 6.11 will work to
implement Government Decision No. 1114 of December 7, 2004
and will assess the inclusion additional ages [of students]
in the organizational framework referred to in the decision,
the manner of funding, oversight and the criteria associated
with them.
6.13 Within 75 days a decision will be reached regarding the
way religious services will be administered in the State of
Israel, including legislation, as needed, government
decisions and the necessary funding. Within 14 days a
decision will be made regarding the orderly administration of
religious services in the interim period, the means of
appointment, funding and the construction of religious
facilities, including a government decision if necessary.
A UTJ representative will be a member of the staff handling
this matter.
*
7.1 Special cuts will not be imposed on the chareidi sector
alone beyond the cuts imposed on all sectors.
7.2 NIS 140 million will be allocated for the advanced
yeshivas [i.e. yeshivos gedolos] and
kollelim.
7.3 NIS 150 million will be allocated for the following:
kindergartens, student transportation, seminaries,
dormitories, student insurance, Jewish culture and
talmudei Torah. Allocations for these matters will be
in accordance with the agreement reached between the Budget
Department and UTJ. The special 15 percent kindergarten
funding cut made on 2-26-04 will be cancelled.
7.4 All of the above additions will be added to the 2005
budget alone, except for the special 15 percent cut for
kindergartens. UTJ declares that it views these additions as
an important correction to past cuts. When discussions of the
2006 budget approach it will insist on this and will demand
these additions and other additions in funding designated for
the weaker strata and educational institutions.
11. The respective sides agree that new foundation laws or
any change in them or in the existing foundation laws will be
submitted and legislated only with the consent of all parties
in the coalition that is to be built. In the event a proposal
is brought for a vote in a first reading in the Knesset
plenum against the above, the coalition parties will vote
against it.
