...but I prefer it over selling out the country to the Shas parasites. Shas faction head Ya'acov Margi even has the guts to say that Shas was demanding a billion shekels in coalition talks for "fair and legitimate" child welfare payments. He said such an investment would lead to future savings in welfare, education and fighting crime. Yeah right, because those children won't learn a trade, won't work, and won't be dependent on state handouts? How can he say such a thing with a straight face? Unbelievable.

Shas should be offered more money and then they'd join the government by saying they can do more for the disadvantaged if they are in the oposition. What a bunch of worthless liars.

KOL HA'KAVOD

A senile rabbi is destorying the only hope this government has for a stable government. Kadima is legally elected in our democratic process, led by the honorable Shimon Peres who knows how to properly relate to elections. Shas, a ridiculous minority, is able to leverage its way in and destroy a coalition led by a majority party. If we have general elections, settlers and charedi shouldn't be allowed to vote. They are destroying this country.

Yeah? What about "Mofaz-led " government ? Mofaz is able to promise to Shas all what it wants. But, who said Mofaz keeps his promises ?

Its massive corruption is too well documented. May its support never again be required for any government of Israel.

FINALLY someone has the guts to stand up to these Haredi parasites. LIVNI, GO TO ELECTIONS AND YOU'LL HAVE OUR SUPPORT. PROVE THAT YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN A NEW POLITICS.

The Rabbi is wrong. It's not a case of future tense but present tense. israel is already a nation of easy capitulation and surrender for nothing in return but lies. This weakness feeds the flames of jihad and does not bring peace.

It's a minority party--29% of people voted for Kadima in last elections. Less than 1/3 of votes is not a majority.

Lets prepare for a very pro-Judaism coalition post-next election. The moral of the story for Livni is to stick to what you know and never run to a ship that has bounties of treasure but weak foundations. Now the boat has sunk leaving the treasure gasping for life in the wild seas of Frishman Beach, thus now is the ' time to say goodbye'.

Now here is classic example of Ynet's censor policy , while they do not publish over 50 % of TB's from people who disagree with their political agenda , this fine gentleman from Herzeliya of all places gets to slender at his choosing. When one reads this Herzelist TB carefully one can see how our "free" Israelis see the democratic process and that the words legal and honorable have a very strange intrepetation by these same "free" Israelis. Only one conclusion comes to mind , insanity rules here.

"THEM" or reject the other thieves getting too large of a slice of the pie ? GIVEN THE CHARACTER OF THIS WRETCH ,I'D SAY HER BRINKMANSHIP WAS TAILOR MADE FOR A DUPE SUCH AS YOURSELF ! She was negotiating with SATAN up and until the devil or she got too greedy ! She stands for NOTHING ! Her reseme suggests she'll fall for ANYTHING ! THAT'S WHY NEW ELECTIONS ARE GOING TO BE CALLED !

Livni is as delussional as ever only confirming that she is not even fit to be in the govt let alone PM . Get rid of this whole rotten Kadima and Barak

How a country can governate if minorities can block all the system ? A party is the winner so it must be the decision maker for the country for a period.

May God bless Shash and Rabbi Ovadia. Shash stands for a fair deal for the poor and needy in our society.

...I thought that's what they are known for.

Do Shas want the money for themselves? No! They want child benefits restored. Do Shas want to "give away" Jerusalem? No! They want a Jewish Jerusalem. Why do so many talkbackers not realise what to me is written in black and white?

$ha$ cannot be bought? Really? Say it ain't so! NIS 450 million to stay in the coalition when they started talking about Jerusalem. Millions in child support to join a new coalition. These people aren't about religion. They're about cold, hard ca$h.

If Shas says it will not join because Kadima will not support the poor and protect Jerusalem, it is abused. And if it did join, it would still get abused. There is in many of the talkbacks a disgusting streak of ethnic and religious racisim.

Shas did the right thing by not joining a Government that wants to expel 100,000 Jews and divide Jerusalem. Tzipi Livni has the same views as Meretz and must be defeated if we want to have a Jewish State.

It is questionable that a narrow, ultra-leftist government led by Livni, Kadima, Labor and Meretz can survive. Given the fact, Barack Hussein Obama appears to be the favorite here in the U.S., Israel cannot afford the kind of weak government Tzipi Livni would lead. This is no time for experimentation with weak leaders. Israel needs to go to elections. I never thought I'd be thinking or advocating anything less than a strong leader. I would prefer Moshe Feiglin or another strong leader. Yet, since Netanyahu is the presumed favorite Likud canditate --Netanyahu is also weak -- it would appear to be the case, Netanyahu and Likud is all we've got at present beyond a Livni, Kadima, Labor and Meretz government coalition? Israel faces two existential threats to her existence; President Barack Hussein Obama and a nascent nuclear Iran. Israel cannot afford an extreme leftist government led by Tzipi Livni.

shas canot be bought ELI ISHAI says . how much will you get from Natanjahu? Shas was always out for money and was Blackmaling evry goverment .The poor never saw the money only the one who are leading

the money in there pockets anyway.They dont care about the public , just there own people.They care about Israel thats a joke, let them go to the army.The shas leaders havent a clue what goes on in Israeli everyday life.

which Olmert was too weak to do. Either that or Livni wouldnt give them as much money for a bribe.

Question? What would happen if a government was formed without Shas? Famine, flood, earthquake? Would Shas survive??

Oh, come on, Shalom. I think you're being a bit naive about Shas. I seem to recall supporters of Arye Deri saying the same sort of thing about him -- "But he never took (a/k/a( stole") anything for himself. (As if that makes everything OK). It sounds wonderful that Shas is trying to help impoverished children, yes. But it is the height of hypocrisy (IMHO) for a group that encourages *more* poverty by espousing more reproduction at all costs and at the same time discouraging men from earning or, Heaven forbid!, from serving in the army or even serving the country otherwise (i.e. National Service).

Ah, I see. Only we who have the audacity to criticize Shas are hypocrites. Do I catch a whiff of ethnic and religious racism in your post?

And most Shas followers work for a living. TBers tend to lump all religious Jews together, which is sad. I wish Shas well in the new elections.

One of the most popular lies that has become universally accepted as if it was an indisputable truth is the myth about Jerusalem being the third sacred place to Islam. It is quite rare to hear the honest truth, that Jerusalem is the First and Only Holiest place to Judaism! As a matter of fact, Jerusalem is not mentioned at all in the koran, and Muhammad has never been there (perhaps he did not even know about the existence of Jerusalem!). The tale about his dream flight has been related with Jerusalem in a very recent time for political strategy purposes. The Islamic claim to the Temple Mount is very recent - Jerusalem's role as "The Third Holiest Site in Islam" in mainstream Islamic writings does not precede the 1930s. It was created by the grand mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini as explained at : http://xrl.us/bjheo