Sharon fires ministers ahead of Gaza vote

Great Debates
1

Now I don’t know how the Israeli government works, but isn’t this move odd?
Isn’t this what dictators do to get what they want?
I haven’t seen anything in this forum about this news.
No one else think this is odd?

2

There’s a cabinet vote Sunday to approve the Gaza withdrawal, and it’s going to come down to one or two votes. There’s no doubt the National Union members will vote against it, because they’re really pro-settlement and anti-Palestinian (of the “Ship them to Jordan” variety), so Sharon’s getting them out of the cabinet and his coalition, and just hoping that Netenyahu and his people in the cabinet fall in line.

Meanwhile, Shas is talking no-confidence and National Union is expected to go along with them.

3

Israeli government works on a Parliamentary Coalition basis. IOW, the Prime Minister needs to present his/her government (cabinet) to the Knesset (our Parliament) and obtain its “Vote of Confidence”. This can be repealed at any time by a “Vote of No Confidence” - in which case the government falls, and a new one must be selected and presented - possibly by the same Prime Minister, possibly by another, possibly also causing new elections for Knesset (which, with a new makeup, may produce a markedly different government).
The Prime Minister may, at any point, rearrange the government. This happens many times. Obtaining the various ministers’ (and their parties’) approval is part of the political game in a parliamentary decmocracy.
One way of rearranging the government in the absence of approval by a specific party is to make due without it… kick it out of the coalition and the government. This is normally done by formally sacking the ministers from that party.
This has two consequenses:

  1. This party is no longer a member of the coalition. So it cannot affect government decisions aymore.
  2. This party is no longer a member of the coalition. So it will (most likely) vote against the government in the next No Confidence Vote - just like any opposition party.

Basicly, Sharon has told the National Union - “I no longer want you in the government. You are now in the opposition and you are free to vote against me in the Knesset”. Don’t see how this is un-democratic. Most Europeans on this board should be able to confirm that this particular step is almost de rigeur in any parliamentary (rather than Presidential, as in the US) political system.

As to the “Why” Sharon is dismissing the National Union from government - see Captian Amazing’s very good brief analysis above.

Dani