From
Oslo to Wye
The Wye Agreements:
The Knesset Vote
Background
Cabinet Stage
The
Memorandum went to the Cabinet for a Ministerial vote before going
to the Knesset. The Cabinet delayed their vote until the PA provided
its information on its police force and security measures.
Cabinet
abstentions and opposition were anticipated among the 16 ministers
sitting with the Prime Minister: Limor Livnat, Tzahi Hanegbi,
Moshe Katzav, Yuli Edelstein, Rafael Eitan, Shaul Yahalom, Yitzhak
Levy, but Shas Ministers supported the government, together with
those who participated in the actual negotiations.
Knesset
Line-up (1999)
| Party
|
No.
of MKs |
For
|
Against
|
Observations
|
Likud-
Tzomet
-Gesher
Total
|
23-1
4
5
32-1
|
?
+1
5 |
4 |
Likud
abstentions, absences; Tzomet faction opposes it; Gesher
mainly supports it |
| Labor
|
34
|
34
|
|
Support
Wye Agreement if implemented now; delayed vote of no confidence
in the Coalition on the budget or for early elections
to pass Wye |
Shas
|
10
|
10
|
|
Support
Wye - and territorial compromise if
it saves lives |
| NRP
|
9
|
|
?
|
Oppose
Wye if this doesn't topple the government |
| MERETZ
|
9
|
9
|
|
Support
Wye provided it is implemented now |
| YISRAEL
BE'ALIYA |
7
|
1
+? |
1+?
|
Sharansky
supports; Edelstein opposes; the rest is a mixed bag |
| HADASH
& NDA |
5
|
5
|
|
Support
Wye provided it is implemented now |
| UNITED
TORAH JUDAISM |
4
|
|
|
|
| 3rd
WAY |
4
|
1+?
|
|
Kahalani
supports Wye; 2 have reservations |
ADR
- UNITED
ARAB LIST |
4
|
4
|
|
Support
Wye provided it is implemented now |
| MOLEDET
|
2
|
|
2
|
Against
Wye & territorial compromise |
Alphabetical index
of Members of the 14th Knesset:
http://www.knesset.gov.il/knesset/mk/14/mkindex_eng.htm
List
of 14th Knesset Members by Party:
http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00jq0
Party
platforms (as available):
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/gov/platform.html
Notes:
There is a timetable for the implementation of the WRM which assumes
Knesset approval.
Meanwhile,
the Knesset Law Committee has already approved the proposal for
early elections and this is scheduled for its first reading as
a Bill of Law in the House in early November 1999.
The
anomalies of the situation were:
- Had the bill been
read in the Knesset before the Wye agreement, the Opposition
would have been obliged to oppose their own bill in order
to ensure the approval of the WRM and thus an elections bill
would not be re-presented for another 4 months.
- Had the majority
of the Likud or the Coalition opposed the WRM in the Knesset,
while the approval itself gained an absolute majority of 61,
the government would have been faced with the anomaly of ruling
without Coalition support - which could precipitate a constitutional
scandal, if not a crisis on the constitutional, diplomatic
and security levels.
|