By GIL HOFFMANKnesset plenum April 20, 2020 (photo credit: SHMULIK GROSSMAN)
Blue and White scored a political victory overnight Monday night when it succeeded in passing the Expanded Norwegian Law into law in the Knesset plenum by a vote of 67 to 23.Blue and White voiced their dismay after Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to skip tonight's vote.The law would enable five ministers or deputy ministers in Blue and White and two in other coalition parties to quit the Knesset and be replaced by the next candidates on their party's list. The ministers and deputies could return to the Knesset if they quit their posts. Blue and White desperately wanted to pass the bill, because 12 of their 15 MKs are ministers, and the party has not had enough MKs to do parliamentary work in the Knesset.New MKs in factions that have split would have 24 hours to decide which one to join. The bill could allow candidates of Yesh Atid and Telem, which are in the opposition, to instead join Blue and White in the coalition.The next names on the united Blue and White list are former Yesh Atid MK Yorai Lahav-Hertzano, attorney Michal Cotler Wunsh, Einav Kabala, moderate religious Zionist activist Tehila Friedman and Hilay Shay Vazan.In Likud, former MKs Ariel Kallner and Osnat Mark are set to return to the Knesset. In United Torah Judaism, former MK Yitzhak Pindrus will return.Three Shas deputy ministers are expected to quit in favor of the next names on the party's list: Uriel Busso, French immigrant Rabbi Yossi Taieb and Ethiopian immigrant Rabbi Baruch Gazahi.Debates on the bill stretched on for more than four hours on Monday, as opposition MKs filibustered.Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the bill proved that all the party cared about was more political patronage positions. He said Blue and White should be ashamed.
"The captains of the Titanic are playing pick-up sticks an hour before the ship is set to hit the iceberg," Yamina leader Naftali Bennett said. "Our duo of two prime ministers are dealing with this nonsense instead of ensuring that there could be more coronavirus testing."But the head of the Knesset Law, Constitution and Justice Committee that legislated the bill, UTJ MK Yaakov Asher, said he was sure the bill would make the Knesset function better and bring in terrific new MKs who will serve the public well.The Likud initially refused to allow a vote on Monday on the final readings of the bill due to a dispute with Blue and White.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz met for three hours on Monday but failed to resolve political differences that have put their nascent governing coalition in jeopardy."It cannot go on this way," Netanyahu reportedly said. Likud and Blue and White fought over Netanyahu's request to open the coalition agreement and pass a controversial new bill next week. The bill would ensure that Netanyahu would remain prime minister if elections are called after a Supreme Court decision to prevent him from serving as alternate prime minister when Gantz would become prime minister in November 2021.Currently, the coalition deal enables Netanyahu to be prime minister in a caretaker government if elections are held within the government's first six months, and Gantz would be caretaker prime minister if elections are held after that.But Netanyahu is concerned that the Supreme Court decision will only rule in fall 2021 when the question will become relevant. If the change is made, Gantz would have to step down as prime minister in favor of Netanyahu if elections would be initiated.There were also disputes between Likud and Blue and White over each party using their strongholds to prevent the other from advancing their agenda. The Likud said Blue and White's justice minister Avi Nissenkorn was not advancing the Likud's bills in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation that he chairs, while Blue and White said coalition chairman Mikki Zohar (Likud) was preventing Blue and White's ministers from taking government authorities that are set to move from Likud ministers in the coalition deal.
