Coalition safe for now

Senior ministers Tzipi Livni and Avi Dicther estimated on Wednesday morning that the government would survive for a long time, and that there was no reason for it to fall apart.

Abbas and Olmert in Annapolis (Photo: AFP)

Yoel Hasson, Acting Coalition Chairman, agrees: "The fact that from Annapolis, we are setting out on a process of dialogue, in accordance with plans for the war on terror and seeking proof of action from the Palestinians – is the right process."

According to Hasson, "The coalition is strong and stable, because the elements that make it up understand that there's a need for a diplomatic process."

The coalition's partners don't seem in any hurry to quit. "Annapolis isn't a success nor a failure," said Yisrael Beiteinu MK Yisrael Hasson, adding, "it's another meeting. Let's see what this conference produces and where it leads.

"Generally, when I listened to the speeches, I thought I went back in time to earlier conferences. I very much hope that we won't be forced to pay now the price of the internal Palestinian struggle, and be dragged with it to no where.

"This conference was so anemic, that it doesn't question any red line of Israel Our Home. We made our red lines clear before Annapolis. I don't know whether this process took off, landed, or only turned on its engines. Any effort to give it a title is a compliment for this meeting," Hasson said.

Shas to quit 'if government evicts Jews'

Shas' view, as expressed by MK Nissim Ze'ev, is also that "Annapolis is a formal ceremony, which does not obligate the parties.

"There's no place for clearing Jews from any part in the Land of Israel… I don't see Shas sitting in the coalition if that happens," he added.

Olmert's government also faces a potential challenge from another direction. On the eve of the primaries, Ehud Barak vowed to "end the partnership" following the final Winograd report, and the expected document will soon be published.