Coalition yanks Otzma Yehudit bills as far-right party keeps up legislative rebellion

Coalition whip Ofir Katz announces that legislation sponsored by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party will be removed from the Knesset agenda as the party vows to continue voting against the government.

In a statement, Katz says that “until further notice, bills by Otzma Yehudit members who voted against coalition discipline will not receive the coalition’s support and will not be on the agenda.”

Government bills supported by party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry “will be examined on their merits and only urgent bills that concern state security will be passed,” he states.

Katz slams Ben Gvir for his announcement Saturday evening pledging to continue voting against the coalition until his budgetary demands are met.

“It is unthinkable that they would issue an apology and in the same breath promise to continue disrupting the coalition’s work,” Katz declares, referring to the fact that Ben Gvir apologized for not offering offsets to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, forcing them to appear for a vote on a critical budget-related bill last week.

Netanyahu had been in the hospital recovering from surgery while Bismuth had been at home observing the seven-day mourning period for his late mother.

In response, Otzma Yehudit says its “ideology has been to never shy away from ‘punishments.'”

“This was the case when we fought against the policy in Gaza even before October 7, this was the case when we changed the conditions of terrorists in prison despite objections, this was the case when we reformed the police, this was exactly how we fought to dismiss the oppositional attorney general, and this will be the case now in the fight against the severe harm done by treasury officials to the Israel Police and the Prison Service and the closure of police stations and civil defense squads. We will continue to fight fearlessly for the people of Israel,” the party states.