The Knesset will vote on Wednesday on a bill that would prevent anyone under criminal indictment from serving as prime minister, the opposition Yesh Atid-Telem faction announced on Sunday.
The bill is intended to harm Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust, and to test whether Blue and White would vote for it. The proposed legislation was part of Blue and White’s platform for three elections.
“The executive branch cannot be headed by a man charged with corruption,” said Yesh Atid-Telem MK Yoav Segalovich, who headed the investigations department of the Israel Police. “The need for this bill is obvious and it is more needed now due to the behavior of Netanyahu. It is time for my friends in Blue and White to stop threatening and start keeping their promises.”
KAN reported on Sunday morning that preparations in Blue and White are underway for what the party will do once it leaves the coalition. The report said the party would focus on “ideological legislation” in its platform, such as legalizing gay couples adopting children from surrogate mothers, and not personal legislation against Netanyahu.
Blue and White faction chairman Eitan Ginzburg, who himself adopted children from a surrogate mother in the US with his partner, said he was unaware of such a decision.
Ginzburg said no progress had been made with Likud toward resolving their ongoing dispute over the 2021 state budget.
“There is no compromise on the horizon,” a Blue and White spokesman said.
A source close to Blue and White leader Benny Gantz declined to respond when asked if he had extended his deadline that he set three weeks ago for deciding whether to leave the coalition for this week.
“There are many options for him on the table,” she said. “Gantz will make a decision soon about what he will do.”
Meanwhile, the heads of United Torah Judaism met at length on Sunday regarding the vacancy for Minister of the Construction and Housing Ministry post. UTJ leader Ya’acov Litzman quit the post two months ago and was replaced by Yitzhak Cohen (Shas), who resigned on Thursday due to a dispute with Litzman.
A spokesman for the party said a decision would be made in the days ahead.