Three no-confidence motions submitted by HaIchud HaLeumi and
the NRP, Shas and Shinui were rejected last week by a large
majority of the Knesset plenum.
Shinui's no-confidence motion came as a reaction to the
coalitional agreement signed between the Likud and UTJ
according to which the Dovrat Report will not apply to the
chareidi education system. Forty-eight MKs from the Likud,
Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael and Labor voted in favor of the
government, a mere 16 MKs from Shinui and the NRP supported
the no-confidence motion, and 23 MKs from Shas, HaIchud
HaLeumi and Yachad abstained.
The joint no-confidence motion submitted by the NRP and
HaIchud HaLeumi in opposition to the government's dependence
on the far left was rejected by 55 MKs from Likud, Labor,
Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael, as well as opposition
parties Yachad and Chadash. Eighteen MKs from Shas, the NRP
and HaIchud HaLeumi supported the no-confidence motion and 11
MKs from Shinui, Balad and the United Arab List abstained.
Shas' no-confidence motion against chilul Shabbos in
the dismantling of IDF roadblocks was rejected by 58 MKs from
the Likud, Labor, Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisrael as well as
opposition parties Shinui and Yachad, 18 MKs from Shas, NRP
and HaIchud HaLeumi supported the motion and 6 MKs from Arab
parties abstained.
Deputy Minister of Defense MK Ze'ev Boim, who responded to
the no-confidence motions in the name of the government,
offered praise for the chareidi education system. "I think it
would not be mistaken to say, that although this is a big
generalization I have the impression the teachers in the
religious and the chareidi education systems surpass the
teachers in the [secular] education system in terms of
dedication, the effort they invest and the results from their
perspective and their curriculum," he said.
Regarding the no-confidence motion on chilul Shabbos
through the removal of roadblocks, MK Boim explained that the
State of Israel made a commitment to remove the roadblocks
before the Palestinian Authority elections, but on the other
hand they had to remain in place until the last possible
moment to help prevent terrorist attacks and free movement
from one area to the next.
Speaking before the plenum MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz asked Shas
to retract the no-confidence motion, saying security figures
maintained this was a case pikuach nefesh. "Under
these circumstances I would suggest the motion be retracted,"
he said.
Rabbi Ravitz went on to say, "We made a point of having [the
coalitional agreement] explicitly state that Shabbat should
be preserved in the State of Israel by state institutions.
When I read in the newspaper that the army acted to remove
roadblocks on Shabbat I immediately clarified the matter and
what took place there, because on the surface this violates
the coalition agreement. But Deputy Security Minister Ze'ev
Boim explained to me that the action carried out fell in the
realm of pikuach nefesh. So even if we say this was
just sofek pikuach nefesh certainly there is no
justification to submit a no-confidence motion in the
government."
Rabbi Ravitz also discussed the importance of preserving
Shabbos in Am Yisroel from generation to generation
and said that on the matter of Shabbos observance Am
Yisroel always knew to unite and to take every step to
prevent chilul Shabbos.
