Sharon's new government passes first test
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s moderate new government survived its first test today, winning a crucial parliamentary vote that had threatened to derail the planned Gaza withdrawal.
But powerful rebels in Sharon’s Likud Party who oppose the pullout warned that they would topple the government in the coming months if the prime minister does not hold a national referendum on the withdrawal.
Also today, five Palestinian militants and an Israeli civilian were killed in separate clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Today’s political crisis revolved around passage of Sharon’s 2005 state budget. The spending plan must pass three parliamentary votes by March 31.
Otherwise, the government automatically collapses and new elections would be scheduled, putting the Gaza pullout, which is scheduled to begin in July, in jeopardy.
Sharon this week formed a new government with the moderate Labour Party and a small ultra-Orthodox party. The alliance, backed by several opposition parties, gives Sharon a solid majority in favour of the Gaza withdrawal, despite objections from 13 hard-line MPs in his party.
Without the hard-liners’ support, however, Sharon will not have enough votes to push his budget through parliament. Some of the opposition parties that back the withdrawal oppose Sharon’s 2005 spending plan.
After a meeting, the Likud rebels decided to support the budget in today’s vote. However, they warned they might oppose the budget in the subsequent votes if Sharon does not hold a referendum.
“It was decided unanimously to support the budget until the second and third readings,” Yehiel Hazan, a leader of the hard-liners, said shortly ahead of the 64-53 vote. “We call on the prime minister to reconsider holding a referendum.”
Sharon has dismissed a referendum as a stalling tactic. ”There is no change in his position,” said Asaf Shariv, a Sharon spokesman.
Sharon’s plan, which includes the evacuation of four West Bank settlements, would uproot 8,800 settlers. Settler leaders, along with many members of the Likud, the traditional patron of the settler movement, oppose the plan.
Israeli military officials have expressed growing concern that a majority of settlers could resist withdrawal and turn to violence. Military officials said Wednesday the army will mobilise several thousand troops during the evacuation.
An extra army division will be deployed in Gaza in June, a month before the withdrawal is to begin.
The operation will be called Brethren Dwelling, a phrase from the Book of Psalms. The evacuation will begin in the Netzarim settlement in Gaza to test the level of opposition, the officials said. The withdrawal from Gaza will take two months. The four settlements in the northern West Bank will be evacuated in September.
The army is preparing 4,000 large freight containers to move settlers’ possessions if they refuse to be evacuated.
