Blue and White party boycotts coalition votes to protest holdup of its legislation

Defense Minister Benny Gantz says his Blue and White party will not vote with its coalition partners today to protest delays passing legislation that his faction put forward.

His centrist party is apparently feuding with left-wing parties in the coalition.

He says the boycott is to protest “damage to national security and the breach of coalition commitments in past months.”

His party will not take part in Knesset plenum votes today, excluding no-confidence votes, which would topple the government.

Blue and White says Gantz has recently been “having a quiet conversation with the prime minister and alternate prime minister, on a wide range of security subjects and other subjects.”

Blue and White lists a number of issues it says were part of its coalition agreement that have not been honored, including advancing a new conscription law.

A senior coalition source tells Ynet the tussle is over the left-wing Labor and Meretz parties refusing to pass a Blue and White pension plan for career soldiers.

“Gantz has decided that pensions for his friends has risen above all other considerations,” the source says.

Blue and White holds eight seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Its boycott deprives the government of its majority.

The Islamist Ra’am party boycotted the coalition last week due to its legislation being held up, and ended its protest earlier today, meaning the coalition may not be able to move legislation forward for the second week in a row.