The Knesset is slated Wednesday to tap two of its members to represent the legislature on the Judicial Selection Committee, the nine-member body responsible for appointing Israel's judges.
Since 1992, most Israeli governments have backed granting one of the two positions on the committee to a member of the Opposition - though doing so is not required by law.
While some members of the Coalition - including Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) - had sought to retain both positions for factions loyal to the government, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to support appointing a candidate from the Opposition - in part due to threats from Opposition leaders that should the Coalition not grant one spot on the committee to the Opposition, they will walk away from the negotiations currently underway on judicial reform.
Netanyahu will convene a meeting of Coalition faction chiefs at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday ahead of the Knesset vote, followed by a Likud faction hearing at 10:00 a.m.
During the two meetings, Netanyahu is expected to demand that Coalition MKs agree to vote in line with the government's decision, despite the vote being conducted via secret ballot.
The Prime Minister is also reportedly expected to promise Coalition members that in return for this concession to the Opposition, the government will guarantee moving forward with at least some parts of the judicial reform plan unilaterally, if talks with the Opposition fail to yield and agreement.
The elements of the overhaul most likely to be pursued unilaterally are the bills to limit the judiciary's use of the reasonableness standard and to turn ministerial legal advisors into employees of their respective ministries, allowing ministers to hire and fire them at will and making their legal opinions non-binding.
The Knesset's secret ballot to select the two representatives to the Judicial Selection Committee will begin at 11:30 a.m.