The Knesset plenum approved Wednesday a preliminary reading of a bill that would prohibit the police from making recommendations for and against prosecution at the end of an investigation.
52 MKs voted for the bill and 42 MKs voted against it.
According to the coalition's conclusions, the law will only relate to the non-publication of police recommendations in the media, and will determine that in investigations in which there is an accompanying attorney, there will be no recommendation but only a summary of the hearing.
MK Rachel Azariya (Kulanu) was the only MK from the coalition to vote against the bill. “This is a bill that harms police and the prosecution."
"The media will be able to cover investigations against a person, but police will not be able to announce that he is innocent," she said.
"If the law is not personal and will not affect the prime minister, why pass it under pressure and in haste?" Azariya asked. "I do not believe in legislation under fire, so I will vote against it. I thank Minister Kahlon for the freedom to vote against party lines, despite the pressures, and his statement that no one should vote against his conscience on laws that are not in a coalition agreement."
MK Dudi Amsalem (Likud) presented the law and said, "Today the situation is illegal and unconstitutional. I asked myself why the police make recommendations? After all, the prosecutor decides anyway. Basically, police tell the public, 'We caught the thief and the prosecution closed the case, so address complaints to them and not to us.'”
"Take Gil Shefer (a former Chief of Staff of the PM suspected of performing an indecent act whose case was closed for lack of evidence, ed.) as an example. There are nearly 15,000 Gil Shefers per year, and these are what I’m referring to. It is clear that if we remove the prime minister from the issue, I assume that many of you would be supportive. There is a worrisome phenomenon that must stop now. I come from a civilian perspective, the prime minister is part of the Jewish people, he is not from Hezbollah and he is allowed to have rights like all citizens. You are not interested in the citizens but only in bringing down the prime minister," he said.
MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said to coalition MKs: "You are trying to save the prime minister from the investigations. Who are you kidding? The prime minister is afraid of the recommendations.”