Blue and White using special clause to expedite coalition
By GIL HOFFMANPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a speech about the novel coronavirus in Israel.(photo credit: KOBI GIDON / GPO)
The Knesset committee legislating the formation of a new government passed an amendment on Monday that appeared to indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer seeking to add Yamina to his coalition.The amendment changes the special majority for repealing the rotation between Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz from 75 MKs to 70. Netanyahu's coalition would be 72 MKs without Yamina and 78 with it, and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett was using Netanyahu's need for a special majority to try to get him to give in to Yamina's demands.A Blue and White official said lowering the special majority was an attempt to decrease criticism from the Supreme Court. But the party took another step that was likely to be frowned upon by the court.Gantz, who is the Knesset speaker, decided to take advantage of a rarely used loophole to expedite passing the bills necessary to form a government. The filibuster-busting clause, known as clause 98, will be used to limit the debates on some 10,000 amendments to the bills issued by the opposition.Blue and White faction chairman Avi Nissenkorn announced that deliberations on the bills in the Knesset plenum would restart on Tuesday morning at 10am and votes on their final readings would begin on Wednesday at 4pm in order to end by Thursday night's deadline for the bills to be passed.The Knesset's mandate to form a government ends at midnight that night. The bills are intended to guarantee Blue and White's support for Netanyahu to be given up to two weeks by President Reuven Rivlin to finalize the formation of the government."There is no justification for using Clause 98 now just because they don't trust Netanyahu and don't want to sign for him before they pass the laws," a Yesh Atid spokesman said.Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said his faction would support the government's efforts to fight the coronavirus and fight its corruption."This government is the reason no-one believes politicians anymore," Lapid said at a Knesset press conference. "They are shamelessly taking advantage of a national crisis to create jobs for themselves. No-one needs a government of 36 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, with 52 ministerial offices, drivers, offices, budgets and jobs for everyone. It would have a huge budget and be an incredible waste. It would mean hundreds of millions wasted at the time when the economy is on the verge of collapse."Lapid complained that the government lacks a plan for fighting the virus and is not taking responsibility. He mocked Gantz's defense of Blue and White joining the government.
