An Israeli deputy minister from the National Union Party quit after two Cabinet members from the party were fired. Deputy Education Minister Zvi Hendel submitted his resignation Sunday, saying he was protesting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s firings and the Gaza Strip withdrawal plan. Sharon “fired ministers in order to pass a dangerous and irresponsible move that is dictatorial and without peer,” Hendel said, referring to the firing of the National Union’s Tourism Minister Benny Elon and Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman over the weekend. Sharon fired the ministers to get majority support for the Gaza withdrawal plan within his Cabinet.
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