The incoming government continues to bring new legislation before the Knesset; on Thursday, a tense debate was held in the special Knesset committee formed to discuss a law transferring powers to the minister within the Defense Ministry.
According to the agreement signed between the Religious Zionism party and the Likud, the law defining the scope of authority of the minister within the Defense Ministry must be amended before the new government is formed. Religious Zionism party leader MK Bezalel Smotrich is expected to appoint a member of his party to this position, and he will also be authorized to appoint the coordinator of government operations in the territories (COGAT) and the head of the Civil Administration, in coordination with the Prime Minister.
Committee head MK Shlomo Karhi (Likud) was forced to remove MK Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid) from the debate deu to disruptions caused. As Knesset ushers bodily removed Beliak, Karhi could be heard shouting after him, "Such violence - what brutality," to which Beliak responded, "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was also present during the debate and expressed his opposition to the installation of an additional minister within the Defense Ministry. "Netanyahu is inserting politics deep within the security system, and in doing so, he's destroying Israeli security. There should be a unified system of operation and oversight to enable seamless organization. What is happening here is disrupting the balance in the way things are run."