T. Belman. How does Bennett justify this?
Bill introduced by the Likud to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria defeated in Knesset, 50 to 64.
By Hezki Baruch, INN
The Knesset voted Wednesday afternoon to reject a bill which would apply Israeli sovereignty over parts of Judea and Samaria.
The bill was introduced by Likud MK Mikki Zohar, along with cosponsor MK Shlomo Karhi (Likud).
In the preliminary vote in the Knesset plenum, the bill was rejected, with 50 MKs voting in favor and 64 against.
The Bennett government voted against the bill, ensuring its failure in the plenum.
Zohar excoriated the government for voting down the bill, calling the coalition an “evil, left-wing” government, and lambasted it as “opportunistic”.
“This bill will once again show and reveal who is ideological in this Knesset, who believes in their path, and who is just an opportunist and who seeks positions for himself and his friends.”
“I understand and can accept it when [United Arab List chief] Mansour Abbas and UAL vote against the law, but when the right-wingers in this government vote against the law, they will prove to the public once more that they came to the Knesset for jobs, for positions, for opportunism, not because of ideology or any values.”
The government response was offered by Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar (New Hope).
“I heard MK Mikki Zohar relating to the fact that in the last administration, Netanyahu wanted to apply sovereignty but Blue and White prevented him from doing so. And I was just thinking to myself, ‘How far from the truth can you get?’ In the coalition agreement between the Likud and Blue and White, which I voted on along with you in the previous Knesset, which Netanyahu highlighted, and justifiably, that it included a major concession [from Blue and White] that regardless of the details of their veto power, the one thing that would be off limits is the issue of sovereignty, and that [Netanyahu] can bring the application sovereignty to the Cabinet and government and Knesset approval after July 1st, 2020.”
“The agreement also included a clause which allowed the Prime Minister to bring the [sovereignty] bill to the Knesset as a private MK’s bill, so long as it was through a Likud MK. So you, MK Zohar, party whip for the Likud in the last Knesset, could have brought this bill up in the last Netanyahu government, during the Trump administration, during the amazing window of opportunity – you could have submitted the sovereignty bill and had a majority in the Knesset.”
What is vital for Israel now is a budget and the reforms it carries. Such as the increase in the Defense Budget and Health Care Budget. Plus reducing costs for Israelis buried with extra costs at restaurants and at the super market because of past policies.
Cynical move by Likud who never brought this up when they were in power and it had a chance to pass.
Only reason they brought it up now so that the some right-wingers would have a knee jerk react how can they Bennett and company not vote for this. Pure politics.
Bennett/Lapid Coalition had said on its formation that it would not be able to pass bills like this because of its diverse makeup.
If members of the Likud or Religious Zionist care about a bill like this passing, they should join the government so that they can get rid of RAAM and Meretz. The true goal is not sovereignty but political power. So cynicism reigns!!
There is no need for a sovereignty bill for Judea and Samaria. The 1994 Peace and Border Treaty with Jordan defines in minute detalil the limits to Israeli state sovereignty in the area. The whole debate is based on a misunderstanding of International law. The issue is not about sovereignty, but about local application of Israeli law. The adoption of the Oslo Accords was a sovereign act by Israel.
Is this really the limit of their response? I have looked for a further comment from the govt but have only found this pathetic counter-charge as their stated defense of in action on this matter in which they cite only that Likud didn’t try to it, while maintaining a great silence to explain why Bennett and Saar succeeded in stopping it. No mention that the matter will be addressed after the budget, no mention of any intent to move forward with this at all, ever. If the claim is that Zohar and Likud are being disingenuous on this point or simply that Bibi failed to push this forward while in power for whatever reason, it can not be denied that this bill could now be law, if not for the defecting members of the Right who joined the Left and anti-Zionists to form this govt and withheld their support or any recommendation to do so in the future.
I can not help but accept that they are more focused on their continued experiment than greater matters such as this, which would countenance the fact that they have no intention on bridge the the gap between their stated goals and their vote cast to deny this law. While in office, Bibi never had access to so great a chorus of Right wing MKs within the Knessett as are available to make this matter complete, regardless of Trump. The intolerable acceptance that Jews are forced to live under a military govt, limiting their freedoms within their own lands has too long been left unattended.
I do not know what has held the hand of Bennett and Saar from extending the employment of civil law and justice over Jewish lands, be it the tenuous govt, the Americans or some other matter, but it has created a chasm between a key objective of theirs and their voting record. Seems relavent that they provide a better qualification of their intent by this recent vote than offering some slight towards the Opposition, who did indeed vote to provide sovereignty to J&S.