Yamina MK Chikli withdraws his High Court petition over party’s bid to oust him

Yamina MK Amichai Chikli on Sunday withdrew his High Court petition that sought to obligate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked to participate in an upcoming Knesset hearing regarding the party’s request to oust him.

The rogue lawmaker did so on the advice of court justices, who, according to Hebrew media reports, did not see the appeal as justified at this point.

Chikli ran as part of Yamina in last year’s election, but refused to join the ruling coalition – and voted with the opposition when the coalition was sworn in last June — over its inclusion of the Islamist Arab party. He has remained in the party, however, while opposing the government on numerous key votes.

Bennett’s party held off on seeking to legally brand Chikli a defector, despite his rebellion, but earlier this month pushed ahead with the punitive measure, which would limit Chikli’s ability to run again or serve in certain capacities.

The move was seen as a bid to stop other MKs from bolting, after Yamina MK Idit Silman left the coalition, depriving the government of its majority and leaving the Knesset deadlocked.

Earlier Sunday, Yamina gave the court its response to Chikli’s petition, saying the appeal “was born of sin,” and that the decision to oust him from the party was made “after [he] actively worked to get more faction members to rebel [against the party.”

Chikli’s request to have Bennett and Shaked testify at the Monday hearing in the Knesset’s House Committee was already rejected last week by Blue and White MK and Deputy Speaker Eitan Ginzburg, who will oversee the meeting.

Chikli’s second request to delay the meeting to May 25, which he claimed was due to him and his team not having enough time to prepare, was also rejected by Ginzburg.

Channel 12 news reported on Saturday that the Ra’am party has decided that its representative on the Knesset’s House Committee will boycott the planned hearing.

According to Channel 12, Ra’am decided following internal deliberations that MK Walid Taha will not attend the House Committee’s hearing on Monday. Per the network, the move was part of an effort to show that Ra’am was serious about its temporary freeze of its membership in the Knesset and the coalition.

The party did not immediately confirm Channel 12’s reporting.

Last week, Ra’am chief Mansour Abbas announced the temporary membership freeze, given mounting pressure on the party to take action over the recent violent clashes between Muslim worshipers and Israeli police at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount.

Ra’am’s decision to freeze its coalition membership has been largely declarative so far, because parliament is in recess, though opposition sources said last week that they saw it as a further opportunity to weaken the coalition, encourage defections, and bring down the government.

Monday’s hearing could create actual ramifications for the move.

The House Committee is made up of 11 members, eight of which belong to the coalition. Despite Taha’s absence, it is believed that there will be a majority to oust Chikli from Yamina.

If approved, his ouster could be a blow to Chikli’s political aspirations, as Knesset rules would prevent him from running with any faction currently sitting in the parliament in the next elections, which — if the government collapses without an alternative proposal from the opposition — could be declared soon.

Chikli, however, could potentially form a new political faction, something he has recently hinted that he is considering.