PM to dismiss ministers, deputies who vote against pullout

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will dismiss ministers and deputy ministers who vote against the disengagement plan in the Knesset vote next Tuesday.

Sources close to Sharon said Thursday that all ministers and deputy ministers must be loyal to government decisions, and that a vote against the plan, abstaining from the vote, or not being present in the Knesset plenum at the time of the vote for will be considered a breach of their collective responsibility as part of the government.

Likud "rebels" said in response that they do not fear the dismissal of ministers and their deputies, and noted that even those who are dismissed will continue to serve as MKs, and will continue to oppose the disengagement plan.

Shas chair: No party support for disengagementShas Chairman Eli Yishai said afternoon that the ultra-Orthodox party will not the disengagement plan when it comes to a vote in the Knesset next week, Israel Radio reported.

But Yishai, who made the announcement after talks with Sharon, said that the party's spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was still undecided whether he would tell Shas MKs to abstain from the vote on the plan to withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip and evacuate four settlements in the northern West Bank.

Sharon had concentrated his efforts on Shas in the hope of ensuring a majority for the Knesset vote. Sharon's aides were also trying Thursday to persuade the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party to abstain in the vote.

While Sharon appears to have a majority among the Knesset members even without Shas, he would like an overwhelming majority of support from a broad spectrum of parties - a move that would strengthen his public and political standing for the future.

Yishai said earlier Thursday that Yosef would not instruct his party's faction members to vote for the plan.

Speaking to Israel Radio, Yishai said he could "say with certainty" that Yosef "will not instruct us to vote for the plan."

However, the 11 Shas MKs may still abstain in next week's Knesset vote if Yosef doesn't explicitly instruct them to vote against it.

Minister Uzi Landau - the leader of the Likud "rebels" opposed to the disengagement plan - met with Rabbi Yosef on Thursday, six days before the bill mandating the Gaza pullout is presented to the Knesset for approval.

Landau told reporters he was impressed by Yosef's proficiency with the details of the plan, and even hinted that the rabbi would instruct Shas MKs to vote against the bill.

"Yosef is aware of the dangers associated with the plan," Landau said.

Yosef has also met twice with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on the pullout plan, most recently on Wednesday.

Shas sources stressed that the rabbi's position was purely halakhic [based on Jewish law] and not influenced by political considerations. At the same time, they said, he was aware that Shas followers were much closer in their hearts to the feelings of the settlers than they were to the positions of the secular left.

Mofaz showed Yosef maps during their Wednesday meeting, specified the details of the plan and answered the rabbi's questions pertaining to the possibility of a rise in the number of terror attacks following the pullout from Gaza.

Yosef also met Wednesday with Major General (res.) Ya'akov Amidror, an opponent of the disengagement plan.

Observers said Wednesday that the fact that Yosef is listening to different experts means he is keeping an open mind. Shas no longer carries decisive weight in the government but could perhaps return to the coalition if it abstained or voted in favor. Therefore Yosef could still order a surprise abstention, they said.

During Mofaz's talks with Yosef on Wednesday, their second round of discussions in seven days, the defense minister answered many questions, especially about the possibilities of increased terror in case of a unilateral withdrawal.

	Minister Uzi Landau meeting with Shas leaders Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Eli Yishai in Jerusalem on Thursday. (Olivier Fitoussi/BauBau)