Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing saga surrounding Likud MK Oren Hazan, Channel 2 News reported.
The meeting came after a court determined that there was evidence to believe that Hazan consumed hard drugs in Bulgaria before he was elected to the Knesset.
According to Channel 2, the secret meeting was attended by Netanyahu, coalition chairman MK David Bitan and Netanyahu’s chief of staff Yoav Horowitz. At one point, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin joined the meeting via phone.
According to the report, the sides discussed several possible measures against Hazan. The first scenario involved banning him from the Knesset Finance Committee, in which he serves. The second option was a ban on the submission of bills or speaking at the plenary on behalf of the Likud faction.
The third possible measure being considered is banning Hazan from Likud faction meetings, and the most dramatic measure being discussed is removing him from the party altogether. If this route were to be taken, it should be noted, the Likud would lose about 80 thousand shekels of its election funding.
According to Channel 2, Levin reminded the attendees that any sanctions against Hazan could lead to him not voting with the coalition and that could destabilize the government.
While the other participants at the meeting proposed serious measures against Hazan, Levin advised them to hold off for now due to the political implications of such a move.
The court’s determination with regards to Hazan actually came as it heard a defamation suit that he himself filed against Channel 2 and its reporter, Amit Segal.
The suit came in response to a report published last year byChannel 2 which alleged that prior to his election to the Knesset, Hazan was seen consuming hard drugs while he served as manager of a hotel in Bulgaria.
While Channel 2 was ordered to pay Hazan 40,000 shekels in compensation for what the court deemed false allegations that he sold narcotics, the saga has nevertheless resulted in a firestorm over Hazan, who already has several controversies under his belt since becoming MK.
One of the chief critics of Hazan was Education Minister and Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett, who called on publicly elected officials to disassociate themselves from the MK.
"The law does not allow us to force him to resign, as there was no criminal offense done within Israel, but the head of his faction should feel obligated to disassociate from him," said Bennett.
At the same time, Hazan has received the support of some Likud activists, who announced their intention to visit his home on Friday and celebrate his birthday as a show of support.