Shas retracted on Monday a no-confidence motion it submitted
after Interior Minister Ophir Pines-Paz announced last week
that he did not intend to enforce the Chometz Law.
Sharon's intervention followed a letter from MK Rabbi Moshe
Gafni saying that a minister cannot be allowed to overlook an
established law simply because it is of a religious nature.
He also explained that failing to enforce the Chometz Law
would be a violation of the coalition agreement and warned
that Degel HaTorah would thus vote in favor of the no-
confidence motion.
Sharon then spoke with Minister Pines, telling him "a law is
a law" and therefore he must enforce the Chometz Law just
like any other law. Minister Meir Shetreet, who serves as the
government's liaison to the Knesset, even made an
announcement to this effect during a plenum session.
On Monday ranking Interior Ministry officials claimed that
ever since the law was legislated 20 years ago not a single
interior minister, including chareidi interior ministers, has
succeeded in enforcing it.
Following Sharon's directive Pines said he, too, believes in
upholding every law on the books, including laws he does not
favor personally. However he went on to say, "The Jewish
identity and democracy of the State of Israel are not
dependent on laws that create religious coercion that merely
cause resentment and distance people from religion." Pines
said he himself does not eat chometz on Pesach and
fasts on Yom Kippur, "but every citizen must reach a decision
on his own."
Last year, when he was in the opposition, Pines-Paz
criticized the interior minister from Shinui who openly
refused to enforce the law.
