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Barak Wants Shas to Extend Political "Safety Net"
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Friday ordered his confidants to negotiate with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party on the possibility of extending Shas's political "safety net," which is vital for the survival of Barak's government.
The order was issued after Barak met with his ruling Labor party ministers on Friday. The negotiation team will be led by Finance Minister Avraham Shochat and Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, party officials announced.
Shas, the third largest parliamentary group after Labor party and major opposition Likud, agreed on October 30 not to try to topple Barak's minority government for four weeks. The temporary "safety net" is expected to expire in about 10 days.
But the Barak government, which now only controls one third seats of Israel's 120-member Knesset (Parliament), desperately needs the support of 17 Shas Knesset members to defeat any no-confidence motions.
Shas officials already said that the party, at this time, had no interest to rejoin a coalition with Barak's Labor party.Shas bowed out of the government in July ahead of the failed Camp David summit between Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for a final peace deal.
They said that Shas party leader Eli Yishai wants to push the government towards earlier elections, and "the earlier the better."
Analysts pointed out that Shas is worried that if it was the only right-wing party to provide "safety net" for the unpopular Barak, the party will be punished by its constituents in any early elections.
Other analysts argued that Shas just hardens its stands, as it did every time before, ahead of the coalition talks in order to earn more gains.
It was reported that Shas has listed all its demands, a "huge and swollen" document as Treasury officials termed, to the Finance Ministry in exchange for its support for Barak's budget proposals in the parliament.
Meanwhile, Barak also ordered to begin negotiations with other parties, such as the dovish Meretz and United Torah Judaism, to join a coalition for saving his government from a collapse.
Meretz leader Yossi Sarid responded that his party will take part in negotiations, and will be represented by lawmakers Ran Cohen and Haim Oron. After a political scuffle with Shas, the left-wing party withdrew from the government in June but remains in the coalition.
Barak hoped such a coalition with Shas and Meretz will stabilize internal political situation and give the peace process with the Palestinians another chance.
Hopes for peace between Palestinians and Israelis has been severely damaged by the violence in the Palestinian territories in the past seven weeks, during which over 220 were killed, most of them Palestinians, and thousands wounded.
Likud leader Ariel Sharon was widely blamed for provoking the violence by visiting a disputed shrine in East Jerusalem. Barak feared that a coalition with Likud would tantamount to declaring the death of the peace process, his party officials said.
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