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Party leader Effi Eitam told his party, to catcalls: "You can't sit in this government"
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| By israelinsider staff September 14, 2004 |
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By a 66-34% margin in a secret ballot, the NRP central committee voted to remain in the government coalition of Ariel Sharon, but conditioned its remaining inside on the government holding a national referendum before a Knesset decision on evacuating settlements. Members of the party called for the ouster of leader Effi Eitam, who opposed the decision.
Prior to the vote, central committee members called for the resignation of Party Chairman Effi Eitam after he launched an emotional attack on the party's leadership: "You called me a year and a half ago and said the party can't pass the minimum percent of voters to be elected to Knesset." Fighting to be heard over heckling, he continued: "You called me and I came in all innocence and integrity. You can vote to dismiss me and tell me to go home, but I tell you that if it is unity and partnership you seek, I am offering you both, generously and honestly."
Eitam, earlier in his remarks, said that protesters in a demonstration held in Jerusalem on Sunday protesting the disengagement plan had sent the party a clear message to leave the government. "They said one thing clearly. You can't sit in this government, you must return to the path we set for you, if today we take up the path of conniving deal-making they [the protesters] will cease to see us as their representatives."
Yitzhak Levy, who resigned from the Sharon government together with Eitam but later joined the camp of Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev, backed down from supporting the conditional decision to remain in the government. Levy said that he had consulted the Mordechai Eliyahu, the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi and the party's spiritual leader, who decreed that the NRP must quit the coalition immediately after authorization of compensation payments to settlers, irrespective of the holding of a disengagement referendum on . The compensation plan is expected to be presented and passed Tuesday by the govement.
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