After a number of contradictory announcements, the final committee and plenary votes on controversial legislation that would legalize some 4,000 housing units in the West Bank built on privately owned Palestinian land is being postponed from this evening, when it was meant to take place.
Faced with hundreds of proposed revisions by the opposition, the special committee created to finalize the legislation was forced to delay its votes on the revisions until Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Once approved by the committee, the legislation will be brought to the plenary readings.
Earlier, coalition chair David Bitan said the final plenary vote would be postponed a day, citing a packed legislative schedule but Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein seemed to override Bitan, announcing that the vote would take place, as previously scheduled on Monday evening. A spokesperson for Edelstein said that since the bill was particularly sensitive, the speaker wanted to oversee the session and will be on a trip abroad Tuesday.
Now, a spokesperson for Bitan confirms to The Times of Israel that the plenum vote has been pushed off until Tuesday, at least.
A spokesperson for Edelstein says the plenary vote may not take place until next week, with the opposition requesting more time to debate the bill.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 30, 2017
