In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein expounded on the impasse between the Likud and Blue and White parties and why the two have thus far failed to reach a basic agreement that would allow for the establishment of Knesset committees.
"The short answer is petty politics. The long one is that yesterday, the Knesset committees had an opportunity to convene and start working. As of Tuesday, I have been convening meetings with faction representatives but they have failed to reach an agreement," Edelstein said.
For those inquiring about the importance of having a consensus, Edelstein says that "this is the 23rd Knesset. In the 22 that preceded it, an arrangement has always been reached. When I realized that [this would not be the case], I offered a compromise. I told my colleagues, 'You have to get going. There is the Corona crisis, there are ongoing problems, companies are going bankrupt. Let's agree to a truce, freeze things where they stand for a week, and create the committees. I was hoping that maybe in the meantime they would start working together and settle on something."
"My compromise was rejected and therefore there is no way out. Next week the matter will be dealt with as part of the Knesset's agenda (on Monday) and for the first time, the committees will be set up devoid of mutual consensus. Apparently there is no way back and from now on, [the coalition] will trample those in the opposition, taking everything by force," warned The Speaker.
Edelstein is disappointed with the conduct of [Blue and White]. "Likud was also not particularly enthusiastic that, according to the calculations of my friend Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Environmental Protection, Ze'ev Elkin, [Blue and White] deserve a majority in the regulative committee. Probably because the Likud ministers and prime minister are so busy with the [coronavirus] crisis, they were a little more willing to compromise. Unfortunately, in Blue and White, they were afraid of [the reactions of other members of their weird bloc] and came up with excuses to reject it."
"I sincerely hope that we will reach an agreement. Because, apart from the fact that there is no way back, there are also technical but very important matters. When people decide to behave like human beings, even under the circumstances of [having to limit] gatherings to a maximum of ten people [with everyone] two meters apart, the Knesset can still be managed and supervised, and legislation carried out. But if everyone is trying to blow up the process, disregard guidelines, and [take up as much time on the plenum as they wish], this is the kind of example [they are providing Israeli] citizens."
"People are losing their jobs because of the health crisis and we [should be able to] show them that 120 MKs can sit in the same room even though they feel like quarrelling because [the people] deserve it."
Asked how the Knesset will run under the restrictions he [issued in lieu of the crisis], Edelstein said: "We do not have an expected sequence of votes here. But before any vote, a debate must be held. So how do we discuss this situation? When there is agreement and understanding of the rules of the game - not on the content but at least the process [itself] - then one goes to the podium and some sit in the plenary and everyone else watches TV, takes turns, and answers. When you just want to blow up the situation, then they have already asked me 'how will intermediate reading be held? On TV?"
"I sincerely hope that common sense [triumphs] and we, especially members of Blue and White, realize that petty politics and the incidental majority [the left bloc received] as a result of Yisrael Beytenu and the Joint Arab List's [support for Gantz] can provide them some of the seats on the Knesset committees but will not enable the administration of an entire country at a time of crisis with the necessity for a broad government," he concluded.