Netanyahu’s opponents have managed to submit their proposal for control over the powerful Knesset Arrangement Committee, which leads the Knesset until a government is formed, thanks to the support of the Ra’am (United Arab List) party led by MK Mansour Abbas.
The proposal of Yesh Atid faction president Meir Cohen went 60 to 51. Party sources said their victory came after a successful meeting Monday between their leader Yair Lapid and Abbas.
“I am grateful to my partners,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “Victory in the vote of the Arrangements Committee is another step on the road to a unity government in Israel.”
In return for his support, Lapid offered Ra’am a seat on the Knesset’s Finance Committee, chaired a committee to combat violence in the Arab sector, and a vice-chairman of the Knesset. But in an interview with Channel 12, Abbas said the posts did not influence his decision.
cnxps.cmd.push (function () {cnxps ({playerId: ’36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b’}). render (‘4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6’);});
if (window.location.pathname.indexOf (“656089”)! = -1) {console.log (“hedva connatix”); function.getElementsByClassName (“divConnatix”)[0].style.display = “none”;}
Yesh Atid officials said their first goal would be to vote, replacing Cohen with Knesset President Yariv Levin, who is MK closest to Netanyahu. The majority of the stone block in the committee could help it advance anti-Netanyahu legislation, including a bill that would prevent a criminal candidate from forming a government.
The Planning Committee will decide on the composition of the Temporary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense and the Finance Committee, which oversees Netanyahu and his government. He will also appoint Knesset deputies as deputies, which will allow the process of electing a new president to begin.
Netanyahu believed he would have a majority on the commission, thanks to an agreement between Likud and Yamina. According to the agreement, Yamina would receive a second slot in the commission at the expense of Likud, in exchange for his votes. But then Ra’am MK, who were upset by Netanyahu’s agreement with Yamina, entered the plenary and defeated Likud’s proposal by a vote of 60-58. This led to the vote on the proposal of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, in which the seven members of Yamina did not participate.
Yamina leader Naftali Bennett has made a decision to “go left,” Netanyahu said in a closed-door meeting with Jewish Torah leaders on Monday at the Knesset. He and Bennett held a tense meeting Monday, their fifth since Netanyahu received a four-week term to form a government from President Reuven Rivlin two weeks ago.
“His feeling is that he has reached an agreement there,” a MK UTJ told The Jerusalem Post after meeting with Netanyahu.
Earlier, Netanyahu told the Likud faction that a government led by Bennett, whose party has seven seats, would be “absurd.”
“The moment of truth for Bennett has come,” Netanyahu said. “He promised not to stay under Lapid, together with Meretz and Labor and with the support of the Common List. So they have to stop galloping towards a left-wing government. “
In the closed-door portion of the faction meeting, Netanyahu said what his opponents call a unity government will only bring more government paralysis and would be “very bad for Israel.”
Abbas said Monday that he does not rule out allowing a Bennett-led government, just as he would not rule out allowing a Netanyahu-led government. Speaking with the emblem of Israel behind him, he said it was wrong to name the supporters of terrorists in his faction, as Smotrich did.
Meanwhile, Smotrich called on Bennett to decide whether to side with the right or the left. He said he did not believe Bennett really supported a government based on Ra’am, which he said he identified with Israel’s enemies.
“As soon as it is clear where everyone is, I am sure that a right-wing government of the entire nationalist bloc can be formed,” Smotrich said at his faction meeting.
New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar has told his faction that he will not allow Netanyahu to form a government or launch a new Knesset race or direct election for prime minister.
Sa’ar spoke for the first time since Netanyahu called him to “come home to Likud” in a speech in Ramat Gan on Friday.
“Our views have not changed,” Sa’ar said. “There are two alternatives: a right-wing government led by someone else [besides Netanyahu] or a unity government that will allow New Hope to maintain its worldview. Both options are better than the new elections, either for the Knesset or just for the prime minister. ”
In an effort to build a coalition, Lapid met on Monday with leaders Yisrael Beytenu, Labor, Meretz and the Common List, as well as Ra’am.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz told his blue and white faction that continued political uncertainty would be dangerous for Israel.
“If we do not unite among ourselves, we will not be strong against our enemies,” Gantz said.
Idan Zonshine and Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.