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Last Update: 12/01/2005 23:03 PM wins war of wills with Likud rebels on State Budget bill By Mazal Mualem and Zvi Zrahiya, Haaretz Correspondents The Knesset on Wednesday approved the first reading of the 2005 State Budget bill after the Likud rebels decided to support it. The bill was passed by a majority of 64 to 53 MKs, thus preventing a deep parliamentary crisis as sources close to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned that if the bill was rejected, Sharon would not hesitate to call on new elections. The anti-disengagement Likud rebels decided earlier on Wednesday to vote in favor...

Dec. 29, 2004 20:09 | Updated Dec. 29, 2004 22:12 Likud rebels blocking unity gov't By GIL HOFFMAN Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's troubles forming a national unity government intensified on Wednesday when 13 so-called Likud rebel MKs vowed not to support the appointment of Labor ministers and the disengagement implementation bill. The MKs made the commitment in a letter to United Torah Judaism MKs, in an effort to persuade UTJ not to join the coalition. The letter is seen as a last-ditch effort by the rebels to prevent the implementation of the disengagement plan by forcing Sharon to initiate early...