Coalition Chairman David Bitan (Likud) decided Sunday evening to veto laws that were brought by the Jewish Home and Kulanu parties at the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, including the regulation law. Despite this, the regulation law continues to gain support.
The committee, which meets every Sunday, determines whether the coalition will formally back or oppose bills in Knesset votes, and its support is considered crucial for passing legislation.
According to Bitan, the move to block the bills came in response to the deliberate delay of Likud bills by the Ministry of Finance, which is chaired by Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon, and the Ministry of Justice, which is chaired by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home).
It now appears that all of the ministers from the Likud and Jewish Home parties on the committee support the bill and that it is expected to pass. The ministers from Kulanu abstained, and MK Sofa Lanver (Yisrael Beytenu) missed the vote due to her being on a visit to France.
The Jewish Home party insisted on bringing the bill to a vote immediately, as there is less than two months before the High Court's deadline for Amona to be destroyed.
"At the moment we have a political situation and will to do it. Who knows what will be in six months?" asked a member of Jewish Home. "Obama is stopping his interference in Israeli affairs, and the new president-whose positions we do not yet know-only takes office in mid-January. This is a time-frame which allows the government to make a decision. Likud ministers have expressed support (for the bill) in recent months. It is time to implement it."
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had previously called on Likud ministers not to support the regulation law until the High Court responded to the state's request to allow the destruction of Amona to be delayed by seven months. However, many Likud ministers may agree that with the destruction of Amona scheduled to take place by December 25, time to pass the law is running out.