MK Rabbi Gafni: "We say this to you now, with an aching
heart, with a sense of common destiny and as brothers. . . .
Don't focus on the referendum. Focus on the real issue, which
is the future of the State of Israel as a Jewish
state."
On Monday the Knesset turned down a proposal to institute a
referendum about the disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip
and northern Shomron. The final vote was 72 against a Basic
Law for a referendum and only 39 in favor. The budget is
expected to pass Tuesday night.
After the defeat of the referendum bill in the Knesset and
the previously announced deal with Shinui to vote for the
state budget, it appears that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
cannot be put out of office for more than half a year, and
will be prime minister for at least close to a year.
The reason for this is the fact that in the immediate future,
a majority of 61 MKs who support disengagement have declared
that they will oppose any no-confidence motions or proposals
to disperse the Knesset whatsoever, until the Gaza Strip
withdrawal is completed. That is scheduled for July. By the
time the disengagement is complete, the Knesset will be in
recess for August, September and October, for summer vacation
and the Jewish holy days. Thus, the first chance to topple
the government would be when the Knesset returns in November.
Even if successful that could result in elections no sooner
than 90 days later. Of course, as any observer of Israeli
politics knows, things can change.
At this time, there is no one who has a specific reason to
topple Sharon in November either.
What will happen in the Likud is difficult to predict. The
struggles of the past few months have taken place within the
party, and none of the bitterest opponents have spoken
seriously of splitting the party. Now that the parliamentary
maneuvering is over, Sharon has also made moves to try to
bring about a reconciliation within the Likud, scheduling
meetings with the various factions. Sharon's associates
called each of the rebels following Monday's vote and asked
for a truce that could repair the split in the Likud. There
is even a meeting scheduled for Sharon with Netanyahu, after
there was intense squabbling among followers of Sharon and
Netanyahu.
Disappointed by the results of Monday's vote, disengagement
opponents declared an end to their parliamentary battle and
announced that their efforts to stop the plan would shift to
the streets, with mass demonstrations planned in Gush
Katif.
"We will continue searching until we find a way to stop this
horrible plan," said MK Uzi Landau, the leader of the so-
called Likud rebels. "We lost the battle but we will continue
fighting with full force against the dangers disengagement
poses to democracy and to Jerusalem."
Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his regret over
the death of the referendum bill, but said he would respect
the vote. Asked whether there was any chance of Netanyahu
supporting dispersing the Knesset, an associate said the
question was "not relevant."
"I am a democrat who honors Knesset decisions," Netanyahu
said. "But a historic chance to prevent a rift in the nation
has been wasted and now it will be harder to heal the
rift."
Netanyahu's associates rejected accusations from Sharon's
office that he did nothing to pass the budget. They said that
Netanyahu single-handedly ensured the budget's passage in
Knesset committees and could have passed it in the plenum
without giving Shinui NIS 700 million, as Sharon did on
Saturday night.
Likud central committee members vowed to take revenge against
the 13 Sharon loyalists who voted against the referendum
bill. Likud activists began gathering signatures on Monday to
prevent MKs who voted against the referendum bill from
running for reelection in the party. Sharon will probably
quash any such move.
In the vote on the referendum, three MKs were present for the
vote and abstained: Rabbi Moshe Gafni (Degel Hatorah), Rabbi
Yaakov Litzman (Agudas Yisroel), and Rabbi Meir Porush
(Agudas Yisroel). Six MKs were absent: Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz
(Degel Hatorah), Rabbi Shmuel Halpert (Agudas Yisroel),
Eliezer Zandberg and Chemi Doron (Shinui), Yair Peretz (Shas)
and David Tal (Am Echad).
Shas waited until the last minute to vote against the
referendum. They went out for the first vote and then came in
and voted against it. HaRav Ovadiah Yosef said that he would
not tell Shas to support the referendum unless it was clear
that its votes would guarantee its passage. However once it
was clear that it was far short of this, even with the Shas
votes, they voted against it.
The final vote against the referendum included 13 from Likud,
19 from Labor, 12 Shinui, 10 Shas, 6 Yachad, 8 Arab parties'
votes, 2 Am Echad, Paritzki, and Nudelman.
Voting for a referendum were 27 Likud, including ministers
Netanyahu, Shalom, Livnat, Hanegbi, Naveh, Katz, and several
senior MKs. Also 6 Ichud Leumi, 4 Mafdal, 2 Hischabrus.
MK Rabbi Gafni said in the debate that the residents of Gush
Katif should join the chareidi community in their struggle
for the daled amos of Halochoh — on the
image of character of the State of Israel as a Jewish state.
"The Jewish people existed even when there was no state at
all, when we were in exile. The Jewish people persisted
because it kept the common platform that we have: Shema
Yisroel Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echod. . . . Join us. We
said this in the past and you did not join us. We say this to
you now, with an aching heart, with a sense of common destiny
and as brothers. You know what keeping Torah and mitzvos is
all about. Don't focus on the referendum. Focus on the real
issue, which is the future of the State of Israel as a Jewish
state. This is the truth and it is high time that you admit
it to us. The chareidi parties have been saying this for
years."
