MIDDLE EAST: In a boost for his Gaza withdrawal plan, a five-man ultra-Orthodox party told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday that it would be joining his new ruling coalition, giving him a majority in parliament for the first time in months.
For a week, the rabbinic leaders of United Torah Judaism had procrastinated over whether to join the government, in part due to pressure from Jewish settlers vehemently opposed to Mr Sharon's plan to dismantle all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank.
But the party also wanted to be assured that Mr Sharon would stick to his pledge to provide funding for ultra-Orthodox schools and ensure these schools remain exempt from state supervision and can determine their own curriculum. To keep the pressure on the prime minister, the party's rabbinic leaders have agreed to join the coalition for a three-month period, during which they will assess whether Mr Sharon remains true to his coalition pledges.
Had Mr Sharon failed to bring United Torah Judaism into his coalition, he would probably have had to call early elections - a move that would have endangered his Gaza plan. Now, with the Labour Party (21 seats), his own Likud party (40 seats) and his new ultra-Orthodox partner, he has 66 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
His first order of business after he presents his government to parliament next week will be to push through the 2005 state budget as well as an evacuation bill that includes compensation for settlers removed from their homes in Gaza and the West Bank. Mr Sharon has been functioning as the head of a minority coalition for months after right-wing parties left the government in protest over his withdrawal plan.
But opponents of the plan said yesterday they would increase pressure on the rabbinic leaders of United Torah Judaism to ensure that in three months they leave the coalition.
The Israeli leader, meanwhile, criticised the settlers yesterday, warning them that they "dare not lift a hand - not to a policeman and not to a soldier If you want to protest, then protest against me."
The comments were prompted by clashes on Monday between settlers and troops, who were trying to evacuate two mobile homes placed illegally at a West Bank settlement.