Netanyahu coalition suffers stinging first Knesset defeat

Opposition lawmakers erupted in applause Wednesday after a surprise legislative victory dealt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s narrow coalition its first Knesset defeat, albeit on the first reading of a bill.

Knesset members voted in favor of a bill reforming the seizure of debtors’ assets.

Passed by a 46 to 45 vote, the bill, proposed by opposition Yesh Atid MK Karin Elharar, stipulates that paperwork filed by the national debt collection agency in preparation for confiscating the assets of Israeli debtors must be filed at an execution office near the debtor’s home.

At the time of the vote, Netanyahu’s coalition, which had previously rejected the bill, believed it had the necessary votes to strike down the legislation. However, a procedural trick by opposition MKs secured the narrow victory.

Merav Michaeli (Zionist Union), Ofer Shelah (Yesh Atid) and Ahmad Tibi (Joint List) initiated the move that deliberately lulled coalition MKs into believing they had a majority by leaving the plenum floor, along with other opposition MKs, for the previous vote and for the lead-up to the voting on Elharar’s bill.

The MKs waited outside the plenum and seconds before the electronic voting ended, returned to cast their votes in favor of the reform.

Ultimately, the absence of Likud’s Infrastructure Minister Yuval Steinitz during the vote allowed for the bill’s passing by one vote.

Currently, debtors facing asset seizure must be present at the debt collection agency’s main offices in Tel Aviv for every hearing or meeting regarding their case. Elharar, who praised the vote as an “important victory,” said her bill was meant to prioritize vulnerable citizens.

Michaeli promised that opposition lawmakers would continue “to embarrass the government until it changes,” according to The Marker.

Before it can be signed into law, the legislation must pass committee debates and a second and third plenum reading.

In a tweet, opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) thanked lawmakers for initiating the maneuver, and called the outcome “another surprise to the prime minister.”

On Monday night, Steinitz’s absence from the plenum almost caused a more major legislative defeat for Netanyahu’s government. The minister dashed back to the Knesset to help push through a motion to delay passage of the state budget.