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Israel's Meretz Willing to Return to Government
Israel's left-wing Meretz party, upon learning of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party's resignation from the government, announced on Sunday it is willing to return to the coalition immediately.
A meeting is scheduled for Sunday night between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and representatives of Meretz to discuss a "safety net" for the government.
"This is the first time that politicians have put their personal interests over national interests," said Barak on Sunday, referring to Shas's resignation from the government.
"This is the first time that the elected representatives of the people will allow the prime minister to leave for an important negotiation without backing," he added.
Barak sent his confidant, Minister of Communication Binyamin Ben Eliezer, earlier in the morning to the Jerusalem home of Shas's spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, to try and dissuade Shas from resigning from the government. He also asked Eliezer to try to arrange a meeting for him with the rabbi.
Eliezer met neither of these two demands. He reportedly explained to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef that Barak's red lines were clearly defined and not negotiable.
Immediately after Eliezer left the rabbi's house, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert arrived there. Olmert told the rabbi that the resignation of Shas from the government could aid in preventing Barak from signing an agreement that would compromise the security of the settlers and endanger the status of Jerusalem.
Shas, the largest ruling partner in Barak's coalition, decided on Sunday to bolt the coalition, citing Barak's failure to specify in detail what his "red lines" are in the negotiations for the Palestinians.
The defection by the 17-seat Shas, which Barak had tried by all might to keep in the coalition even at the expense of the staunch supporter of the peace process-the Meretz, has dealt a heavy blow to the prime minister on the eve of his departure for the Camp David summit slated for Tuesday.
Three weeks ago, when Shas brought the coalition to the verge of collapse over funding for the deficit-ridden school network, the three ministers of the six-seat Meretz party offered to quit the government to pave the way for Shas's continued stay in the coalition.
The resignation of Shas, together with the four-seat Yisrael Ba'aliya led by Interior Minister Natan Sharansky earlier on Sunday and the expected withdrawal by the five-seat NRP, will leave Barak with a crippling 42-78 minority in the 120-member parliament.
Even with the joining of some left-leaning parties, such as the Meretz Party and the secular Shinui Party which has six seats in the parliament and said it would join the coalition once Shas is out, it is still difficult for Barak to secure a majority coalition.
Under this circumstance, Barak may put a peace deal to a public referendum or call an early election when he brings a peace deal back from the Camp David summit.
Monday morning, Barak will head for Egypt to consult with the country's leaders on the three-way summit and then return home in the afternoon to attend the a debate on a motion of non-confidence against the government put forward by the Likud bloc on July 5.
After the debate, he will be flown to the U.S. to attend the summit.
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