Blue and White, Likud update unity deal in line with High Court critiques

After High Court of Justice judges raised concerns over three elements of the Blue and White-Likud unity deal, the parties have updated the agreement accordingly.

The judges objected to the agreement’s six-month freeze on non-coronavirus related legislation, so the parties agreed to remove the clause and add a sentence clarifying that virus-related laws would be given preference.

The judges objected to the agreement’s six-month freeze on senior appointments, so the parties agreed to change the period to three months.

The judges also objected to Blue and White’s desired expanded version of the so-called Norwegian Law.

The Norwegian Law allows any MK who is appointed to a cabinet post to resign temporarily from the Knesset, thereby permitting the next candidate on the party’s list to enter parliament in his or her stead.

Blue and White had wanted to pass an expanded version of the law that would allow it to skip lower down the list to replace an MK who has been appointed minister, because since the election, its Telem and Yesh Atid factions have split off and do not intend to join the government.

In the updated coalition agreement, the clause promising the passing of such a law has been scrapped.