Kadima party spokesmen said Monday that Kadima would end a protest against the coalition following Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin's decision to shelve controversial bills. Kadima led the opposition in protest this week and last.
Other opposition faction leaders agreed to end the protest as well.
Rivlin has decided to postpone debate on a bill popularly known as “the Mofaz law” that would allow a group of seven MKs from any party to split and form their own faction. Currently, one-third of any given party must decide to leave in order to form an independent party.
A second controversial bill, that would allow one minister from each party to leave the Knesset and be replaced by the next person on the party register, will continue as planned.
Tensions between the coalition and opposition grew over the past several weeks as coalition MKs submitted bills that the opposition saw as attempts to increase the power of the coalition and upset the balance of power in the Knesset. The dispute reached a climax last week when opposition MKs walked out on the Knesset plenum despite calls from Rivlin to stay.
Opposition MKs continued to boycott the Knesset until Thursday, when they reappeared for tense discussions over the Economic Arrangements bill.
Kadima members expressed satisfaction Monday over Rivlin's decision. “The opposition sees this outcome as an important achievement that will preserve democracy and the status of the Knesset,” spokespeople said.
If the decision is reversed, the opposition will consider itself free to renew protest measures, they warned.