All of the Knesset’s opposition party members left the hall in protest on Tuesday after close to 40 Knesset members delivered speeches against the coalition’s “blatant, systematic disregard of Knesset rules” and called on Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin to enforce an agenda.
At a press conference earlier in the day, party leaders from Kadima, National Union, Meretz, Hadash, and Balad threatened the boycott after accusing the coalition of abusing its majority to advance self-serving, undemocratic bills and change Knesset procedures for approving bills.
After the speeches, Kadima Chair Dalia Itzik stood up and led the group out of the hall despite Rivlin’s call to take pity on democracy and not take the Knesset lightly. “This is not the city square,” he said, and called on the opposition to return.
Rivlin announced that all proceedings in the Knesset were guided by him in tandem with the Prime Minister’s office, the director of the Ministry of Justice, and the government’s legal counsel Manny Mazuz. He called the move “unprecedented” and said that proceedings would continue with the remaining coalition members.
During the press conference, the opposition members told media they were fed up with recent law proposals and attempts to change procedures. They pointed out the Likud-initiated bill dubbed the “Mofaz law” that, if passed, would make it possible for a group of at least seven Knesset members to break away from their faction and create a new one.
The current law requires defection by a third of the party.
Another bill which drew their fire was a proposal to raise from 50 to 55 the number of Knesset members needed to approve any bill that will cost over 5 million shekels.
They also opposed 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. Critics say the bill was proposed to allow former MK Nissan Slomiansky to enter the current Knesset, replacing Daniel Hershkowitz in the coalition-member Jewish Home party.
Meretz Chair Chaim Oron drew attention to the government’s push to approve what he called “the largest Arrangements Law in the history of the country” within 24 hours of its first reading. Presented yearly to the Knesset alongside the budget, the law is used in coalition building and enables the government to enact reforms that would not necessarily receive Knesset approval or to prevent the implementation of passed laws.
"It's hardly a secret that we don’t see eye to eye on things in the opposition, but there is one thing we all agree on. Since this Knesset has convened there has been a consistent violation of the rules, to the extant that it is destabilizing the status of the Knesset," said Itzik.
"The coalition must respect the rules of the game. The speaker must exercise his right to enforce an agenda. We're not blaming him for this situation, but we expect him to find a way to resolve this situation," said MK Mohammad Barakeh (Hadash).