Israel "in crisis" after Sharon Fires Ministers Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Reuters via yahoo - May 20, 2002 Sharon Fires Key Ministers, Government in Crisis by Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government was plunged into crisis after he kicked ministers of the linchpin Shas party out of his government for voting against an emergency economic package. He faced the challenge of governing with a narrowed parliamentary majority and the possible threat of having to face new elections. A fight by Sharon for political survival could push to the sidelines international moves to press for reforms in the Palestinian Authority and restart peacemaking after more than 19 months of violence. Under Israeli law, the letters of dismissal go into effect on Wednesday, 48 hours after they were issued -- giving Sharon some breathing space to try to resolve the crisis. The loss of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party's 17 votes in the 120-member parliament would reduce the prime minister's support from 82 to 65 members. In a stinging defeat for Sharon, parliament voted 47-44 on Monday against a $2.7 billion package aimed at reining in a budget deficit swollen by lower tax revenues and higher defense spending due to the Palestinian uprising. Shas, a self-declared champion of Israel's poor and a maker and breaker of past governments, led a vocal campaign against the edicts. Its leaders left no doubt the party no longer considered itself part of Sharon's administration. "We welcome his decision," one of the fired Shas ministers, Shlomo Binizri, told Army Radio. "We wish him all the luck if he thinks he can go to elections without Shas or other ultra-Orthodox parties." Sharon also fired deputy ministers of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party who also broke ranks on the vote, a move that could cut the number of government Knesset seats to 60, still a majority under Israeli law, if the UTJ bolts the coalition. "It's a snowball that could gather speed and lead us to elections," said Yaron Dekel, Israel Radio's chief political commentator. Sharon challenged Shas at a time when his popularity is high among Israelis buoyed by the crushing military offensive he launched in the West Bank on March 29 after Palestinian suicide attacks killed dozens of Israelis. Israeli media reports said Sharon planned to resubmit the economic passage for parliamentary approval on Wednesday. The measures also called for widening the budget deficit to 3.9 percent of gross domestic product from 3.0 percent, amid government warnings the figure could reach six percent and Israel's credit rating could be hit if the plan was not adopted. PALESTINIAN GUERRILLA LEADER'S SON KILLED In Beirut on Monday, a car bomb killed the son of Palestinian guerrilla leader Ahmed Jibril in an attack which their organization blamed on Israel. Israel, rocked by two suicide bombings in less than 24 hours, denied it was behind the killing of Mohammad Jihad Ahmed Jibril, a member of the military leadership of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command (PFLP-GC). Israeli media reports said Jihad Jibril was involved in the smuggling of arms and explosives from Lebanon to Palestinian militants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The explosion in the Lebanese capital's Mar Elias district scattered body parts around the car and left it twisted and drenched with blood, witnesses said. Speaking to reporters, Ahmed Jibril blamed Israel's Mossad intelligence agency for the death of his son. "The Israeli enemy knows he was a serious field commander," he told reporters. An aide to Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer denied his country was involved. "Israel had no connection to it," Yarden Vatikay said. "As usual, they blame Israel." In northern Israel, police said a tall man in jeans and sports shoes who tried to board a factory bus detonated explosives he was carrying when two patrolmen demanded his identity papers. One policeman was hurt in the blast. On Sunday, a suicide bomber killed himself and three people in a market in the seaside Israeli city of Netanya. The attack shattered a growing sense of security among Israelis following the end of the West Bank operation. President Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority issued its toughest condemnation yet of such attacks after what it called the "terrorist operation" in Netanya. In a subsequent statement on Monday, the Palestinian cabinet called on "the people and political parties to abide by the decision of the leadership not to carry out any attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel." The statement appeared to leave the door open for attacks against soldiers and Jewish settlers on occupied land in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It said attacks on civilians inside the Jewish state "cannot be allowed -- even in response to crimes by the occupation against Palestinian civilians" because they are used by Israel "to mobilize international public opinion." On another diplomatic front, Spain said on Monday a deal had been reached on the fate of 13 Palestinian militants taken temporarily to Cyprus to end the siege of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Speaking at the sidelines of a Mediterranean conference on the island of Mykonos, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique said 12 of the 13 would be taken by Spain, Italy, Greece, Belgium, Ireland and Portugal and one would stay on in Cyprus for the moment. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytmid-05.20.02-20:19:57-3952