From Opposition bills advance, as Gantz boycotts plenum over stalled IDF pension law
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The opposition has managed to advance five of its bills and counting at the Knesset plenum, after the coalition pulled all of its legislation and told its members they need not show up for votes amid the latest standoff that threatens to bring the government to its knees.
The defeats for the coalition are largely symbolic, as the opposition bills being advanced are only passing preliminary votes and are highly unlikely to be green-lit through the subsequent readings in order to be signed into law.
But the developments continue a trend seen in recent weeks in which the narrow, 61-MK coalition has been forced to pull its legislation due to an inability to garner a majority in the Knesset.
In previous weeks, the party causing the mayhem was Ra’am, due to its frustration with the government advancing the citizenship law barring Palestinians who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining citizenship, as well as the tabling of legislation to assist Israel’s Bedouin population.
Now, it is Blue and White’s turn to boycott coalition votes over its refusal to advance legislation to legalize a long-standing practice of army pension increases for career officers.
The legislation to boost the pensions for IDF officers is seen as relatively unpopular, as it will benefit some officers who are already well paid as the cost of living in Israel continues to grow. But Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz is a former IDF chief of staff and is determined to provide financial relief to a key constituency of his party.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid held a meeting with Gantz in an effort to reach a compromise, but it failed to bear fruit, leading Blue and White to issue a statement announcing its boycott.
The boycott may impact Gantz directly as the opposition has placed a bill on the docket calling for an official state commission of inquiry into the failed Fifth Dimension security firm that he used to run, which has faced accusations of misleadings.
The Times of Israel Community.