Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Rabin survives coalition challenge Date: Tue, 3 Nov 92 15:19:55 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD Rabin survives coalition challenge \BY Arieh O'Sullivan \CR ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT JERUSALEM JERUSALEM - After settling a bitter dispute between two coalition partners, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's 16-week-old government defeated four no-confidence motions yesterday and emerged intact from its first crisis. The religious Shas party had threatened to bolt the coalition unless Mr. Rabin fired Education Minister Shulamit Aloni of the left-wing Meretz bloc. Mrs. Aloni has crusaded for secular freedoms, voicing views that angered religious Israelis. In the end, Shas settled for an apology from Mrs. Aloni, more influence in secular schools and a promise of restrictions on importing nonkosher meat. It also was allowed to express its displeasure with Mrs. Aloni by absenting itself from the no-confidence vote. The agreement cleared the way for Mr. Rabin's Labor-led government, which knocked the right-wing Likud from power in June, to defeat the motions in votes of 59-51. The six Shas legislators boycotted the vote in the 120-seat parliament. Four other legislators were absent. Mrs. Aloni had angered Shas by making sarcastic remarks about orthodox religious influence in schools. In one statement, she appeared to advocate removing a reference to God from a prayer for the war dead. Mrs. Aloni maintained her remarks were taken out of context. The carefully orchestrated compromise required a special Cabinet meeting at which Mrs. Aloni apologized and Mr. Rabin threatened to take steps against any minister criticizing another coalition faction. The departure of the six Shas legislators would not automatically have toppled the government. But it would have weakened the government sufficiently to make it difficult for Mr. Rabin to make concessions in the Middle East peace negotiations. Mr. Rabin's coalition controls 62 seats in parliament. Had Shas pulled out, Mr. Rabin would have had to rely on the outside support of five Arab legislators. He would likely have resigned and attempted to form a new coalition. Religious disputes have toppled more Israeli governments than any other single issue, and yesterday's debate illustrated the widening gulf between secular and religious Israelis. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM