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Photo: Mark Israel Salem

Shas ministers shirk last cabinet meeting

Last meeting of 32nd government held without Shas' ministers, to sit in opposition next term; Netanyahu: Israel better now than 4 years ago

Shas' ministers were a no-show at the last cabinet meeting of the 32nd government, after it was made clear their party will not be part of the new coalition.

 

The four ministers - Eli Yishai, Ariel Atias, Yakov Margi and Meshulam Nahari - are expected to sit in the opposition for the new term, or at least at its beginning.

 

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Saturday night Interior Minister Eli Yishai slammed the apparent coalition and predicted new elections will be held in less than two years.

 

"The threat, spins, and arm wrestling are nearly at an end," Yishai posted on his Facebook page. "You've managed to bring about the reality for which you hoped – not one haredi will stand by you at the photo-op on the Presidential Residence lawn.

 

"The 2013 elections will be remembered as the day an entire (sector of the) public, traditional and haredi, was boycotted simply due to its faith and perceptions."

 

Yishai criticized Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett: "Enough, enough with the pathetic use of the term 'brother,' when the one using it on every occasion has no idea what it entails," referring to Bennett's repeated use of the word during the election campaign.

 

According to sources in Likud-Beiteinu, Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to present his new government as early as Wednesday.

 

At what seems to be the last cabinet meeting of the present government, Netanyahu said: "These were four years of non-stop activity, posing and achieving goals and I think this government is one of the

highest achieving governments of all time."

 

Netanyahu added: "I think we have made Israel safer, more prosperous, more advanced, in all the issues we've dealt with. That's our first priority, to leave the State better than we have received it, and there's no

doubt this has happened.

 

"We have made that happen while the world around us is changing, the regional situation is deteriorating, and the world economy is shaking and not stabilizing.

 

"We still have great challenges ahead of us, in lowering the cost of living and housing, equal distribution of the social burden and above all the immense security challenges that amass around us, all of which will

be handled in the next government."

 

Noam (Dabul) Dvir contributed to this report

 

 

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פרסום ראשון: 03.10.13, 12:14
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