The Knesset will convene a special summer recess plenary session to discuss a recent meeting in which former Kadima MK Chaim Ramon reportedly told a top Palestinian Authority negotiator not to enter direct negotiations with Israel as long as Likud is in power.
The session is scheduled for Monday at 11:00 A.M., and is being convened at the behest of MK Zevulun Orlev, Faction Head of the Jewish Home / New NRP. The session is being held in accordance with Section 37 of the Knesset Rules of Procedure that makes it possible to convene a session during the recess if 25 MKs join a request to do so.
MK Orlev asked to discuss “the subversion by Chairman of the Kadima Council Chaim Ramon, that sabotages the government's policy.”
The request for a special session was joined by 25 MKs from the Jewish Home, Likud, Israel Our Home, Shas, the National Union and United Torah Judaism. All of these factions except the NU are in the governing coalition, and all of the coalition factions are represented in the request. Extraordinary sessions are usually held at the initiative of the Coalition or the Opposition.
In a letter to Knesset Chairman Reuven Rivlin (Likud), MK Orlev explained in his request that “Chaim Ramon's actions might seriously damage the government's efforts to hold direct talks with the Palestinian Authority, and constitute a political terror attack, a serious disruption of democracy and a strident violation of the proper order of governance in Israel.”
Since the Rules of Procedure allow a second subject to be debated in a special recess session, Orlev added to his request an initiative by MK Robert Ilatov, Israel Our Home Faction Head, to discuss “the results of the Palestinian boycott of the residents of Judea and Samaria.”