Knesset approves disengagement plan, 67 in favor, 45 against, 7 abstaining. Of Sharon's Likud party, 23 voted in favor and 17 against; 29 additional votes came from left-wing opposition MKs; 1 MK (Michael Nudelman) of the far-right National Union party broke ranks and voted in favor as well. The remaining 14 votes came from the centrist Shiniu, which is part of the coalition.
Four Likud ministers (Netanyahu of Finance, Limor Livnat of Education, Danny Naveh of Health, and Yisrael Katz of Agriculture), plus MK Yuval Steinitz, stayed outside during the first roll call, and trickled in to vote in favor during the second roll call. One Likud minister (Uzi Landau) and deputy minister (Michael Ratzon) voted against, and received their dismissal letters within minutes of the vote. Social Affairs Minister Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) also voted against, but is allowed to stay for now.
The same NRP announced after the vote that it would leave withing two weeks unless Sharon agrees to a referendum. Immediately after, Netanyahu (speaking also in name of Livnat, Katz, and Naveh) announced live on TV that they made the same decision. While the referendum sounds like common sense at first, many people (including Sharon and this writer) see the referendum demand as a filibustering tactic, since such a referendum has no precendent or legal framework in Israel, and passing the necessary legislation may take several months.
However, Zevulun Orlev (generally considered to lead the moderate wing of the NRP) did declare on camera that if a referendum does take place, the NRP will stay in the coalition whether it likes the results or not.
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