Kadima calls on four rebel MKs to ‘save their dignity’ and resign

The centrist Kadima party Tuesday called on its four rebel MKs, who planned earlier this week to defect to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, to “save their dignity” and resign from the Knesset. The call followed a decision from a Knesset House Committee earlier Tuesday that shot down Kadima’s hopes of firing the MKs.

The rebel MKS — Avraham Duan, Arie Bibi, Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich and Otniel Schneller — attempted to join the Likud party less than a week after Kadima split from the governing coalition over the issue of universal conscription.

A statement from Kadima accused the MKs of succumbing to political bribes by Netanyahu. Kadima head Shaul Mofaz had accused the prime minister of trying to recruit the rebel MKs in order to “legitimize draft-dodging.”

“Bribery is bribery is bribery,” said the statement. It called on the MKs to “save the rest of their dignity and resign from the Knesset immediately.”

Had the four MKs been joined by three or more other members of Kadima’s 28-strong Knesset faction, they would have been able to switch allegiances and join the Likud.

A minimum of seven MKs was required for the faction to be allowed to break away under Knesset bylaws. Their move failed, however, because several other Kadima MKs who had considered splitting ultimately changed their minds.

Mofaz lodged a request with the Knesset House Committee on Monday, asking for the four MKs to be considered as having bolted the party.

Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit told the panel that reports indicated that the four in question had received promises of ministerial positions from the prime minister and that official documents were signed to that effect.

During the committee meeting, however, MK Bibi denied signing any documents and stressed that he had “not left the Kadima party” and had not committed any action justifying his removal from the party. “Such a decision would be a fatal blow to freedom of expression,” he said.

MK Duan said that he was one of the founders of Kadima and had never voted in opposition to party decisions. He said that “talks were held” about leaving the party but there was no commitment.

Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon said on Tuesday that an MK expressing a desire to switch allegiance was not in and of itself enough to justify his expulsion from a party and that there was no precedent for such an event.

MKs who attempt to leave their party but fail must “abide by party discipline… or resign from the Knesset,” he added.