The opposition withdrew most of its objections to the Land Reform bill – for tactical reasons – and the Knesset passed an amended bill mandating the sale of 400,000 dunams of the Land of Israel. One thousand dunams equals one square kilometer.
The final vote, which was accomplished by a roll call of each individual Knesset Member by name, was 61-45.
A last-minute compromise between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, head of the Labor Party, supposedly enabled the Labor Party to vote in favor of the bill and thus remain in the coalition. However, five of Labor’s 13 MKs – MKs Cabel, Yechimovitch, Pines, Peretz, and Tamir - still voted against it. The five represent the hard core of internal party opposition to Labor Chairman Barak, and Tamir intimated on Monday that the five might well split off and form a separate Knesset faction.
MK Yochanan Plesner (Kadima) explained that the opposition had removed its objections from the bill in order that the vote be held "during the day, so that everyone could see how the MKs voted and how the Prime Minister threatened MKs and ministers to vote in accordance with his will."
The law had faced great opposition from various quarters on both right and left. In the end, MKs Zevulun Orlev and Uri Orbach of the Jewish Home voted against, despite the pressure exerted upon them by Netanyahu and the Likud – but Jewish Home leader and Science Minister Daniel Herskovitz voted in favor. Herskovitz, a member of the Cabinet, had planned to absent himself from the vote, but Netanyahu reportedly threatened to fire him if he did not remain in the plenum and vote in favor.
The Jewish Home party explained often that it supported the proposed reforms in the Israel Lands Authority - which the law disbands - but objects to the clause stipulating that parts of the Land of Israel will be sold to individuals.
The hareidi Shas party, a member of the coalition, went along with Netanyahu on the deal, saying it would help free up properties for housing – an issue that greatly concerns the growing hareidi population. Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef stated that the law would not violate the Biblical injunction against selling the Land forever, because the Jubilee year laws do not currently apply. Other leading rabbis, such as Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, stated the opposite, saying not only does the ban apply today, but also that it could lead to a violation of the prohibition to transfer the land to foreigners.
Within the hareidi United Torah Judaism party, MKs Gafni, Mozes, and Makleb were not present for the vote, while MK Meir Porush voted in favor.
The compromise between Netanyahu and Barak means that only 400,000 dunams – 400 square kilometers (155 square miles, nearly 99,000 acres) will be sold by 2014, instead of the 800,000 originally called for. Another 400,000 dunams will be allowed to be sold after 2014. Most of the land to be sold now is filled with apartments that are leased to their occupants for 99 years; the apartments will now be owned by their occupants, thus obviating their need for bureaucratic procedures when they wish to make additions and changes.
Knesset Members of the leading opposition party, Kadima, mocked Herskovitz and Labor MKs when their “yea” votes were recorded, criticizing their apparent cave-in against their oft-stated principles. Knesset Speaker Ruby Rivlin angrily called for order a number of times, demanding that the Kadima members behave respectfully and not scorn their colleagues.