Ariel college. Bone of contention
Photo: Meir Partush
Yisrael Beiteinu says will oppose Labor bills
Foreign Minister Lieberman's party threatens to vote against any bill submitted by Defense Minister Barak's faction due to latter's failure to declare Ariel college a university
The Yisrael Beiteinu
faction announced Monday that it would oppose any bill submitted by Labor
Knesset members, "due to Defense Minister Ehud Barak's
objection to turning the Ariel college
into a university, even though this is stated in the coalition agreement."
According to a clause in the coalition agreement signed between Yisrael Beiteinu and the Likud, the Ariel college would be recognized as a university. Yisrael Beiteinu leader, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, met two months ago with Labor Chairman Barak, and the two agreed that the defense minister would promote the matter due to the college's location in the West Bank.
Lieberman's faction now claims that Barak is delaying the process and failing to instruct the army to act in accordance with the agreement.
"As long as the Labor Party fails to honor agreements it has signed on, any parliamentary activity on its behalf will be opposed by 15 Knesset members," said MK Robert Ilatov, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction.
"The Yisrael Beiteinu faction will not tolerate any attempt not to fulfill coalition agreements and will not ignore this matter," Ilatov added. "The college issue is being torpedoed due to narrow-mindedness and an unwillingness to fulfill a signed agreement. We will insist on our demand to turn the Ariel college into a university."
Amnon Meranda contributed to this report
