The head of the committee, MK Yaakov Asher, said the bill would come to a vote in the Knesset plenum later Tuesday and would be passed into law by Wednesday.
By GIL HOFFMANKnesset House Committee chairman Eitan Ginsburg(photo credit: DANI SHEM TOV/KNESSET SPOKESPERSONS OFFICE)
The Knesset plenum and the Law and Constitution Committee both unanimously approved a bill that would turn Eilat and the Dead Sea tourist areas into coronavirus green zones on Tuesday.The head of the committee, MK Yakov Asher, said the bill would be passed into law by Wednesday, allowing tourists to visit the sites this weekend.The proposal to create “tourist islands” in Eilat and by the Dead Sea – in which hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants and key businesses could open – fell victim to squabbles in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition on Monday.Health Minister Yuli Edelstein asked the Knesset plenum to remove the committee's changes to the bill that would have allowed for other tourist sites to be added to the list and enabled people who have already had the coronavirus to enter them.When the coalition failed to pass Edelstein’s amendments in a 49-46 vote, he announced that the government no longer supported the proposal, effectively killing it.The version of the bill that passed 37 to zero in the plenum was identical to what fell on Monday. Knesset House Committee chairman Eitan Ginsburg, who proposed the bill, said he would negotiate possible changes with the Health Ministry ahead of the final votes.
