Olmert Offering Gimmel Same Rubber Funny-Money as Sharon Did

Commentary;

Back when Gimmel joined Sharon’s coalition upon Shinui’s leaving, with their (UTJ’s) inclusion enabling the expulsion, their joining was to be temporary pending certain considerations. Well it became permanent and the money they were promised by the Sharon regime never materialized following their abstentions in the actual Knesset voting for the expulsion.

Now, as Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu threaton to leave the government due to Olmert’s “negotiating” of “core issues” with the PA, Olmert, as Sharon did in the months before expelling our brethren from Gush Katif, is working to lure Gimmel into coalition with Kadima to enable convergence and abandonment of Jewish land by offering them the same rubber, funny-money which Sharon never delivered 3 years ago.

This author hopes that there are those who will re-enlighten MKs Avraham Ravitz and Yaacov Litzman of these salient facts. Further, here’s hoping that someone savvy can get past the political goal-keepers to likewise enlighten Rav Eliyashev.

There are some things more important than money, like preventing the Chillul Hashem of giving away any part of Jerusalem or of the regime evicting 100,000 more Jews from their homes and communities on the holy soil of Eretz Yisrael. MB

Olmert Wants UTJ if Lieberman Goes, by Gil Hoffman (Jerusalem Post)

Excerpts;

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert renewed efforts to bring United Torah Judaism into his coalition last week amid threats by Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman to remove his party from the government.

Lieberman will meet with Olmert on Monday or Tuesday ahead of a decision Tuesday by the Israel Beiteinu secretariat about whether to leave the government to protest the start of negotiations with the Palestinians on the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel Beiteinu’s departure looked increasingly likely Sunday after Olmert pressed for the removal of illegal West Bank outposts at a meeting of Kadima ministers.

Olmert held a lengthy meeting with UTJ MK Avraham Ravitz in which he tried to persuade him to join the coalition. The meeting was held Tuesday, two days after Lieberman issued his threat to leave and a day before the arrival in Israel of US President George W. Bush.

Ravitz said he was surprised that Olmert had made the time to meet with him so close to the Bush visit and after he had tried for weeks to receive such a meeting.

The meeting ended with a promise from Olmert to allocate NIS 173 million for haredi educational and cultural institutions and to support Ravitz’s proposal to provide tax benefits to organ donors. (In 2000, Ravitz received a kidney from his son Moshe after undergoing dialysis for two years.)

Ravitz said the gestures were intended to show goodwill and perhaps to hint at the possibility of future cooperation.

Shas officials said they would be happy if UTJ joined, which would undoubtedly make it easier for them to remain in the government if Lieberman left. Sources close to Shas head Eli Yishai said he had not changed his mind that the party would only leave the coalition if a deal were reached with the Palestinians on core issues, and that Shas would not bolt over mere negotiations.

Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich of Israel Beiteinu, in contrast, said that any negotiations over core issues such as the fate of Jerusalem would cross a red line for his party. Israel Beiteinu officials said they also could not remain in a government that ordered the IDF to evacuate outposts instead of fighting terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

“When they start talking about core issues, we will have to be outside, because there is no room for us in such a government,” Aharonovich said.

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