Israeli politics: NRP MKs to urge coalition exit over Religious Ministry row

Ha'aretz ^ | 8 October 2003 | Mazal Mualem and Haaretz Staff

[anotherview]

Last Update: 08/10/2003 23:05
NRP MKs to urge coalition exit over Religious Ministry row
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Staff

Members of the National Religious Party faction in the Knesset decided Wednesday evening that they would recommend for the party to quit the government unless its demands are met regarding the breakup of the Religious Affairs Ministry and the regional religious councils.

The party's central committee will meet after the Sukkot holiday, which begins Friday evening and lasts until the following Saturday.

During the meeting, which came in the wake of a cabinet decision earlier in the day to approve the breakup of the the

ministry and councils, faction chairman Shaul Yahalom proposed that the party's two ministers - Effi Eitam and Zevulun Orlev - remove themselves from the cabinet until the crisis is resolved.

The cabinet ruling also means that authority for the rabbinical courts will be transferred to the Justice Ministry, despite the abject opposition from the NRP. The NRP wants the rabbinical courts and the Chief Rabbinate kept together and moved to the Prime Minister's Office.

NRP leader and Housing Minister Eitam responded harshly to the cabinet decision saying, "We are in a serious and unparalleled crisis - Shinui is utilizing secular humanism in an effort to erase Israel's Jewish identity."

Eitam said NRP leaders will recommend to their central committee that the party pull out of the government coalition if Wednesday's cabinet decision is seconded in a Knesset vote.

"The government has made an unfortunate decision that humiliates the chief rabbinate and causes damage to the Jewish character of the state," he said.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon aceeded to demands by coalition partner Shinui and pushed for the break up of the ministry and to transfer authority for the religious court system to the Justice Ministry.

The cabinet approved the move with a majority of 18-3. Ministers Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Elon and Uzi Landau opposed the motion. NRP ministers Effi Eitam and Zevulun Orlev stormed out of the cabinet meeting in protest of the deal with Shinui, refusing to participate in the vote. The NRP was due to meet later on Wednesday to discuss its future in the government.

Under the cabinet decision, the Religious Affairs Ministry will be done away with by the end of the year. The Chief Rabbinate will remain the highest religious authority for rabbinical courts, while the chief rabbis will set new guidelines which will have to be approved by the cabinet.

On Wednesday morning, Sharon met with Shinui ministers Yosef Lapid, Yosef Paritzsky and Avraham Poraz who threatened to quit the coalition after the prime minister promised the two chief rabbis on Tuesday night that the rabbinical courts will remain under the auspices of the Religious Affairs Ministry for at least the next two months and will not be transferred to the Justice Ministry, as planned under an agreement between Shinui and the Finance Ministry.

Trade and Industry Minister Ehud Olmert and director-general of the Prime Minister's Office, Avigdor Yitzhaki were also present at the Wednesday morning meeting.

The deal between Sharon and Shinui does however state that the Chief Rabbinate will maintain a degree of control over the rabbinical courts, the level of which will be determined by a special committee. The accord also states that authority over the Chief Rabbinate will not be transferred to the Justice Ministry, but to another ministry which has yet to be decided.

Deputy minister from the NRP Yitzhak Levi blasted Sharon for his "embarrassing surrender" to Lapid and Shinui's threats. "Shinui is a heavy-handed faction and it is impossible to conduct a dialogue with them," said Levi.

NRP chairman Shaul Yahalom blasted Shinui for creating a false coalition crisis over the future of the Religious Affairs Ministry when the party's real goal, as he sees it, is to damage Israel's image as a Jewish states and wipe out all religious services.

The Religious Affairs Ministry and the local religious councils were to be broken up under the coalition agreement signed with Shinui and their responsibilities instead transferred to the Justice and Interior ministries, both of which are headed by ministers from Shinui.

Sharon and the chief rabbis apparently also agreed on Tuesday night that Avigdor Yitzhaki, would decide within two months which ministry will take over responsibility for the rabbinical courts. Shinui believes that this agreement contradicts their understandings and deal with the prime minister.

Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar warned Sharon that he would not accept the decision to separate the Chief Rabbinate and the rabbinical courts and said he was prepared to quit. The two met on Wednesday afternoon and Sharon asked the chief rabbi not to quit.

Earlier in the day, Amar said the deal with Shinui was a declaration of war against the religious institutions.

Amar also said that Sharon had promised him and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger, that he would not cut the rabbinical courts off from the Chief Rabbinate. Amar said that the two institutions must be kept together, though he did not count out that this would be as part of the Justice Ministry.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef wrote to Sharon on Tuesday, urging him in the letter sent via Rabbi Amar, not to do away with the Religious Affairs Ministry and not to separate the Chief Rabbinate from the rabbinical courts. Rabbi Yosef said "I am shocked by the decision to separate the rabbinical courts from the institution of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and to transfer them to the Justice Ministry."

[anotherview]

The National Religious Party only holds five seats and cannot bring down the government by leaving the coalition.

[Support Free Republic]

What would you do Without Free Republic?

"What would you do Without FR?????

How would You Feel without FR??? Suppose one day you tried to log on and Free Republic wasn’t there?

Where would you get your up to the minute news? How about the live threads as things are happening?

How would you know about the latest Demorat scams, anti-second amendment schemes and all the other liberal, anti-American ploys that are tried every single day?

Insight into world affairs, brilliant wit, sharp retorts, instant information gratification are a few of the things that make FR so vital.

How would you keep on top of things without FR?

How would you know who to contact to complain about the lying politicians, Media Bias, Hollyweirds latest mouth off, sponsors of these idiots, company policies that are unfair and all the other things we need to know to counteract the liberal mindset and the evil plans of liberals?

How would you be part of a Freep?

What would you do without FR????

Freedom isn’t free.

If you enjoy the site and find it a place of like minded Americans to sound off, to get together, to fight back, to have your voice heard and make a difference, PLEASE CONTRIBUTE NOW! Jim can’t do this alone.

The liberals are sure we won’t be able to keep FR up & running. Prove them wrong. Show them we are indeed united Freepers.

Whether it is $5.00, $50.00 or more, it all adds up. Please send a donation now to Free Republic."

Thank You for your support!

Click The Logo To Donate

Or mail checks to

FreeRepublic , LLC
PO BOX 9771
FRESNO, CA 93794

or you can use

PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com