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Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai. (Uriah Tadmor / BauBau)
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Last update - 16:19 11/09/2007
Yishai: Shas will quit government if Temple Mount is relinquished
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent

Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Eli Yishai said Tuesday morning that his ultra-Orthodox Shas party will leave the government if Israel relinquishes the Temple Mount as part of a peace deal.

Yishai was referring to the possibility of an agreement of principles being reached with the Palestinian Authority based on a plan recently proposed by Vice Premier Haim Ramon, whereby Israel would pull out of 70 percent of the West Bank, and would begin negotiations for a final-status agreement.

The minister said: "Unequivocally, Shas will not sit in a government that creates a Palestinian state on the Green Line [1967 border] and within Jerusalem municipal land."

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Yishai said a division of Jerusalem's Old City and the transfer of the Temple Mount to international control is something he is not ready "even to dream about in [his] worst dreams."

The minister added: "There is not even a shadow of a doubt over whether Shas would agree to dividing Jerusalem and a withdrawal to the 1967 borders, or would sit in a government that signed such an accord."

If Prime Minister Ehud Olmert seeks an agreement on the basis of former United States president Bill Clinton's proposed peace deal for an almost complete pullout from the West Bank, Yishai stated, he will quickly find himself with an accord but with no government.

"Not only Shas will leave the government, but also Yisrael Beiteinu will not sit one day in government that opposes all of its principles" Yishai said.

Right-wing groups are currently organizing to block an agreement of principles between Israel and the PA which would include dividing Jerusalem and relinquishing exclusive Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

As such, National Religious Party and Likud party activists met and examined the possibility of forming an alternative government, without elections, under the leadership of Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu. This would be founded on the assumption that Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu and perhaps a few Kadima MKs would all leave the coalition in the event of such a final-status deal being reached.

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  1.   Shas should quit politics altogether 10:41  |  SJ 11/09/07
  2.   Yishai, not a Western mind, he looks Asian 10:58  |  Tamir Palestine 11/09/07
  3.   Talebans 11:26  |  Avrum 11/09/07
  4.   Good ideas, all around. 11:48  |  Giles Martin 11/09/07
  5.   Talk is cheap,ACT 2 save Israel 12:19  |  sam 11/09/07
  6.   Shas party 12:23  |  Pablo Guzman 11/09/07
  7.   To Giles Martin 12:27  |  Avery Cox 11/09/07
  8.   Let them quit 12:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 11/09/07
  9.   Good - Let them leave Israel while they`re at it! 12:45  |  B`galil 11/09/07
  10.   democracy only for people like me -sj, tamir, avrum 12:49  |  ash 11/09/07
  11.   We are not surprised 12:58  |  Axel 11/09/07
  12.   Shas will quit -unless the Govt pays them more 13:08  |  eddie karaite 11/09/07
  13.   Quit now before it is too late! 13:29  |  Z Lando 11/09/07
  14.   Shas didn`t get enough attention yesterday 13:49  |  Chris Linthwaite 11/09/07
  15.   Continued Shas participation in this corrupt government is an... 13:49  |  bat yam 11/09/07
  16.   To #2 13:51  |  monostor 11/09/07
  17.   Correct move but # 12 is right 14:01  |  Gil Yashar 11/09/07
  18.   reply to # 10 On the subject of Democracy 14:07  |  SJ 11/09/07
  19.   PLEASE LISTEN TO ME 14:07  |  PALESTINIANPEACELOVE 11/09/07
  20.   Thank God for the right wing! 14:11  |  Relieved Leftist 11/09/07
  21.   Rabbis have EVERY RIGHT to demand the TEMPLE MOUNT! 14:16  |  Relieved Leftist 11/09/07
  22.   Ash #10 is correct. Human rights and personal freedoms for all 14:23  |  AV 11/09/07
  23.   Waqf exposed (and damaged) the ancient walls of the Temple itself 14:29  |  Hal 11/09/07
  24.   Temple Mount = Mount Zion = Civil War 14:35  |  Hal 11/09/07
  25.   good 14:51  |  Michael 11/09/07
  26.   Instead of worring about Temple Mount,idiots are spouting 15:50  |  S Judah 11/09/07
  27.   Separating the Radicals from the Moderates 16:07  |  PAUL 11/09/07
  28.   silly statement 16:13  |  chico 11/09/07
  29.   these parties talk alot but prefer politcal power to principles 16:22  |  zionist forever 11/09/07
  30.   Good Ridance! 16:22  |  Yaakov Sullivan 11/09/07
  31.   Haaretz censors talkbacks that support Temple Mount 16:25  |  CensorWatch 11/09/07
  32.   Bye bye Shas! Good riddance ! 16:41  |  Aaron 11/09/07
  33.   Eli Yishai. 16:49  |  sandra chitayat 11/09/07
  34.   Tamir P: insensitive, racially insensitive or simply stupid? 16:53  |  Richard S 11/09/07
  35.   eli yishai shames us 16:53  |  mizrachi 11/09/07
  36.   #2 Tamir 16:54  |  Jake 11/09/07
  37.   to sj 16:59  |  ash 11/09/07
  38.   Peace 17:03  |  Marc 11/09/07
  39.   Shas should have quit long ago... 17:05  |  Polybios 11/09/07
  40.   Shas like Hamas should have no role in politics or negotiations 17:14  |  anti-racist 11/09/07
  41.   a golden opportunity 17:15  |  Shelley 11/09/07
  42.   Shas party will leave the government 17:20  |  Danny Epicorus 11/09/07
  43.   #11 axel makes the important point olmert is talking to himself 17:37  |  victor hardman 11/09/07
  44.   Haaretz continues to censor talkbacks supporting Temple Mount 17:42  |  CensorWatch 11/09/07
  45.   Forgive me monostor #16 Israel is not a Western one 17:48  |  Tamir Palestine 11/09/07
  46.   The Best Thing That Could Happen 17:56  |  Jane 11/09/07
  47.   Bulldozers.... 17:59  |  Shalom 11/09/07
  48.   The Axis of Stupidity-Shas, Likud and IB 18:00  |  Joe 11/09/07
  49.   Rav Ovadia`s House 18:28  |  Andrew 11/09/07
  50.   Jerusalem must not fall again 18:33  |  Rustam 11/09/07
  51.   2000 year-old blame where blame belongs 18:48  |  David 11/09/07
  52.   The threat of peace 18:57  |  tadchase 11/09/07
  53.   Could the end be in sight? 19:17  |  Jim 11/09/07
  54.   # 8 Cipora Juliana Kohn 19:30  |  Jim 11/09/07
  55.   Haaretz still keeps censoring talkbacks supporting Temple Mount 19:46  |  CensorWatch 11/09/07
  56.   hate to agree with Shas, but... 19:50  |  M 11/09/07
  57.   He is Right 19:53  |  Devin 11/09/07
  58.   re 31 You are Racist 20:02  |  Devin 11/09/07
  59.   # 41 Rustam 20:15  |  Jim 11/09/07
  60.   If Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu quit government, then 20:16  |  Smadar 11/09/07
  61.   Temple in Jerusalem 20:19  |  Gary Tomasch 11/09/07
  62.   TAMIR PALESTINE Please,please tell me 20:21  |  notblackorwhite 11/09/07
  63.   Temple Mount 20:22  |  RonH 11/09/07
  64.   re 49 the Heritic 20:23  |  Devin 11/09/07
  65.   Take Them Up On Their Offer 20:26  |  Bill Foonman 11/09/07
  66.   To # 42 Rustam 20:32  |  David 11/09/07
  67.   Temple Mount 20:35  |  sheila 11/09/07
  68.   Israeli control of Temple Mount? When? 20:41  |  Stillvoice 11/09/07
  69.   Both Shas and Israel Beteinu should quit NOW! Force an election 20:41  |  Nannette 11/09/07
  70.   #43 David 20:47  |  Stillvoice 11/09/07
  71.   notblackorwhite, yes I`m Gaza Boy and Tamir Gaza 20:47  |  Tamir Palestine 11/09/07
  72.   #19 PalestinianPeaceLove 20:51  |  Smadar 11/09/07
  73.   Shas again and again 20:54  |  leucippe 11/09/07
  74.   There is no hope 21:14  |  tadchase 11/09/07
  75.   #52 RonH 21:50  |  Jim 11/09/07
  76.   or if they can have their Volvos back! 21:57  |  Jerome Burstein 11/09/07
  77.   # 58 tadchase addedum 22:02  |  Jim 11/09/07
  78.   9,B`galil. They are Jewish, What are you? 22:18  |  S Judah 11/09/07
  79.   We need Aryeh Deri back 23:40  |  Moshe Radau 11/09/07
  80.   #51-Jim 23:54  |  Rustam 11/09/07
  81.   land for peace 00:05  |  Eli 12/09/07