As US President George W. Bush was making his way to the region Wednesday morning to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef called on the party's chairman, Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai, not to take part in the negotiations "since (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas )has lost control over the territory."
"What good will the talks do when Qassams are falling in Sderot and Israelis are being murdered by Palestinian security officers in the West Bank?" the rabbi said, reffering to the drive-by shooting attack thatkilled two off-duty IDF soldiers near Hebron in late December.
On Tuesday, Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch of Yisrael Beiteinu told Ynet that he would resign from the government by the end of the week if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert launches talks on the core issues, including Jerusalem, the Palestinian refugees' right of return and the permanent borders of a future Palestinian state.
According to a senior Shas official, the party would consider quitting the coalition "if during the negotiations on a permanent agreement proposals for concessions in Jerusalem and the holy sites are put on the table."
In this case, the official said, the haredi party would put the decision in the hands of its Council of Torah Sages.
Despite Rabbi Ovadia's statement, Shas is not expected to leave the coalition anytime soon.