The Knesset Opposition, led by the Kadima party, has decided to cancel its request for a session on the prime minister’s policy speech – in protest of the manner in which the coalition is attempting to pass new laws.

The Kadima party, the largest in the opposition with 29 seats, had originally requested that the Knesset hold a special session to debate Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech of this week.  Netanyahu himself was required to be present at the session, which was to be held today (Wednesday).

As part of its protests against the coalition’s attempt to ram through various items of legislation that will, according to the opposition, “change the way the Knesset works,” the session has been called off. This is a continuation of yesterday’s measures, which involve boycotting sessions of the full Knesset and Knesset committees.

Opposition MKs Yaakov Katz and Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) did, however, take part in a Wednesday session on the “expulsion of hundreds of children from their homes in outposts in Judea and Samaria.” They explained that the issue was “too important” for them to miss.

Among the changes the opposition does not want to see passed are:

• Raising the necessary majority from 50 MKs to 55 to pass any law that will cost the country at least five million shekels
• Passing what is called the Norwegian Law, which would allow one minister from each party to leave the Knesset and be replaced by the next member listed on the party’s register – and then return to the Knesset, if he leaves the government for whatever reason. The passage of this law was part of the Jewish Home’s demands when it entered the government earlier this year, enabling former MK Nissan Slomiansky to enter the current Knesset in place of party leader Science Minister Rabbi Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz.
• Possibly most significantly, changing the law that currently requires at least a third of a party faction to break off if it wants to receive its own “faction” status. If the minimum is lowered to “at least seven MKs,” then Kadima could easily find itself with seven of its 29 MKs splitting off, under the leadership of MK Sha’ul Mofaz, and joining the Likud government. Kadima claims that this change is tailor-made to enable the party’s near-destruction.

Efforts to seek a compromise are underway regarding this last proposal.

In addition, the coalition has already ratified some major changes, such as allowing deputy ministers to vote in committee sessions – giving the coalition yet another edge – and having the Knesset approve two-year budgets instead of allowing it to be involved in the budget-making process every year.

“We will not allow the Knesset to be trampled in this manner,” opposition MKs say.

Rivlin Defends, Compromises
Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin, for his part, says that by definition, “the coalition has a majority, and the opposition is the one who is trampling the Knesset by saying, ‘In order to prevent the oppression of the minority, we will oppress the majority."

Rivlin said that he did not allow the government to bring “constitutional issues” for a Knesset vote, such as changing the required majority to dissolve the Knesset from 61 to 65 MKs.  However, he said, it is within the rights of the coalition majority to bring up other matters for legislation, relying on its “automatic majority” for passage.