The Knesset House Committee decided today, by a narrow 8-7 margin, to reject the official request of Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein to suspend the parliamentary immunity of MK Naomi Blumental. Rubenstein based his request on allegations against the Likud MK that she paid for the hotel stays of Likud Central Committee members the night before internal party elections. Blumental caused a controversy at the time when she reserved the right to remain silent on the matter.
Before today's vote, MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud-Yisrael B'Aliyah) explained that Rubenstein had not convinced him that the allegations were substantial, nor why the Blumental case was given such expedient treatment compared to those of several other public figures. MK Yuri Stern said, "It is impossible to understand why Rubenstein came down so hard on Blumental, when the system he heads does not deal with major cases such as the Barak campaign associations." Blumental said afterwards that she hopes that Rubenstein - who himself criticized the vote - will "internalize" that which was said in the course of the committee sessions on this matter.
Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid of Shinui was sharply critical of the committee, saying that it had "stolen" Blumental's right to prove her innocence in court. The Movement for Quality in Government said it is preparing to appeal the vote to the Supreme Court.