The Blue and White party is slated to bring a series of proposals to a vote this Wednesday, including controversial legislation opposed by the Israeli Right.
One such bill is a proposed amendment to Israel’s proto-constitution, the Basic Law.
The amendment, titled “Basic Law: Equality” is intended to combat all forms of discrimination.
Opponents of the proposal, including coalition members, fear it could give a carte blanche for judicial activism, and even empower the Supreme Court with sweeping rights to overturn Knesset laws it deems as being discriminatory.
In addition, Blue and White is planning to bring a second Basic Law amendment, dubbed the “Declaration of Independence” Basic Law, to a vote.
If passed, this amendment would codify Israel’s Declaration of Independence into the legal canon, giving it the status of binding legal commentary.
A third proposal set to be raised on Wednesday at Blue and White’s behest is the Surrogacy Law, which would expand the number of candidates eligible for surrogacy and would regulate the procedure for surrogacies carried out abroad.
The three bills, all of which are opposed by the Israeli Right, including the government’s haredi factions, come amid an ongoing coalition crisis between the Likud and Blue and White over the state budget, with the Likud insisting on passing a one-year spending plan, while Blue and White has demanded that the Likud honor its coalition agreement for a two-year budget.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is slated to hold a press conference Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. on the possibility of early elections, which if held would be Israel’s fourth in less than two years.