Yuli Edelstein at a Knesset meeting
Yuli Edelstein at a Knesset meetingNoam Rivkin, Knesset spokesman

The Knesset Committee, led by Knesset Committee Chairman Yoav Kisch (Likud), met on Monday morning at the request of Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud), to discuss Knesset attendance and meeting interruptions.

"The Knesset is not my father's, and I should not have to answer angry emails when special meetings are announced," Edelstein said. "I try to start each meeting exactly on time, except for when special meetings drag on because hardly any MKs have showed up.

"Last week, more than 20 MKs failed to show up for a special meeting. I am considering involving the Knesset's Ethics Committee in cases which present too many absences from special meetings.

"I also don't think I should have to call to Knesset to order three times when we have a guest speaker. Special meetings can simply not continue to run this way."

Opposition MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) said, "Last week, more opposition MKs were in attendance than coalition MKs. On Tuesdays, the Knesset belongs almost entirely to the opposition."

Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) said, "Knesset members do not see Tuesdays as a regular work day. We need to discuss revoking the salaries of MKs who do not come on Tuesdays. And we need to deal with Knesset attendance at the full Knesset plenum, as well."

"We need to decide that Tuesdays are 'draft' days in the coalition, and maybe we should move the Knesset meetings to Mondays or Wednesdays," Kisch said.

"As someone who is almost always present on Tuesdays, I am sure there is importance in the flexibility MKs have on Tuesdays," MK Amir Ohana (Likud) said. "But maybe we should hold special meetings on Mondays or Wednesdays. We need to be stricter about attendance."

MK Sharren Haskel (Likud) said, "We need to prevent interruptions when there are guest speakers... We might have to shorten speaking time to allow more people to express themselves."

"I think that first of all, people need to take responsibility for themselves," MK Merav Michaeli (Zionist Union) said. "You cannot separate the behavior at the Knesset meetings from the way coalition MKs act in general. They do not know how to handle being in the Knesset. The opposition is forced to fight against the coalition's abuse of power."

Edelstein said, "There were times that previous Prime Ministers and Opposition Heads used their speaking time to insult each other inappropriately. I cannot speak about the ministers when there are no MKs present. There were attendance problems even when meetings were held on Mondays and Wednesdays - and if I move the special meetings to those days, it will be even more embarrassing, because there will be more MKs in the building who do not come to the meetings.

"I understand that the topic of interruptions is a sensitive on.. Boycotting something is a legitimate political action, but we cannot treat low attendance as a form of protest. I suggest removing an MK from special meetings after one interruption, or placing sanctions on any MK who misses more than three special meetings in a row.

"Too many times I have had to tell visiting presidents not to come to the Knesset because I was afraid of being embarrassed."

"We will make a list of all the suggestions which have been made today. I invite any MK who has further suggestions to come to me. I'm open to ideas," Kisch said.