From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 17, 2021
Netanyahu, Smotrich to meet to discuss reunification law dispute
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet this evening with Religious Zionism head MK Bezalel Smotrich to discuss the debate over extending the Palestinian family reunification law. Netanyahu reportedly seeks to cement the full opposition to oppose renewing the legislation, although it is uncertain if Smotrich can be convinced vote against it.
Though right-wing opposition parties in principle back extending the law barring citizenship for Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens, they have refused to step in to do so in the hopes of embarrassing the new government.
“The citizenship law is a test of the coalition, not the opposition,” Smotrich tweets. “The opposition is not the one who established an extreme left-wing government with terror supporters and anti-Zionists who endanger the security and the Jewish nature of the state. And now it is failing to gather all of its members to pass such an important Zionist bill. On this test, you have already failed.”
