The Knesset Passes Crucial Compensation Law For Gaza Withdrawal Death Threats To Prime Minister Sharon As Withdrawal Plan Gathers Steam
The Knesset has passed the evacuation – compensation bill necessary to carry out Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements this summer. The vote was 59-40 with 5 abstentions. However, as the Prime Minister moves his evacuation plan forward, he may also be facing mounting death threats.
Not everything is going Sharon’s way. The ultra-orthodox Shas has announced it will not be joining the government. Shas demands that Finance Minister Netanyahu restore the slashes he has made to child allowances. Sharon wants Shas in the coalition to bolster support for the disengagement and the new state budget. The budget is perhaps the last thing that could block the withdrawal. If the Prime Minister cannot get it passed by the Knesset by the end of March, he would have to call an early election. Two other opposition parties Shinui and Yachad, which support the withdrawal, say they will not vote for the budget. As things now stand, Sharon still has work to do to muster a budget majority.
The odds are that the Prime Minister will pull it off and after today’s Knesset vote the withdrawal looks closer than ever. But so do threats to the Prime Minister. Sharon has said declared that he’s not worried about his personal safety and he will not be intimidated. However, it cannot be denied that the whole withdrawal plan depends on Ariel Sharon; without his leadership it will probably come to a halt. Therefore, the danger is great.
