12/14/2022–|Last Updated: 12/14/202204:42 (Mecca)
Israel’s Knesset has taken a first step towards passing legislation allowing detainees to be included in the government that Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to form, amid fears of the formation of a “fundamentalist state” under the parties of extreme right.
The Likud party is trying to scrutinize the Knesset to pass legal amendments before announcing the formation of Netanyahu’s government, which is expected to be completed by December 21.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the Knesset elected, with a majority of 64 votes, Yariv Levin of the Likud party, interim president of the Knesset, after the dismissal of the current president, Mickey Levy, affiliated with the interim government.
Among the amendments requested by the right-wing coalition are to legitimize the appointment of convicted criminal Aryeh Deri, head of the Shas movement, to a ministerial position, and to allow extremist Knesset members Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to expand their powers in the ministries of national security and defense.
Yesterday evening, Tuesday, the Knesset approved, in a preliminary reading, 3 bills aimed at allowing the inclusion in the government of those convicted in criminal cases and allowing the right-wing coalition to control the maximum security centers.
MPs approved what is known in the media as the ‘Shield Law’, which aims to allow party boss Shas to become a minister, despite being sentenced last January to a one-year suspended prison sentence for tax violations, according to the channel Israeli 12.
The “Shield Law” calls for amending the Basic Law (which serves as the constitution for Israel), which prevents those sentenced to prison from holding ministerial positions, so as to exclude those sentenced to suspended sentences.
The deputies also approved a bill known as the “Ben Gvir Law”, which calls for the modification of the police decree so that it is subject to the government, in particular to the future Minister of National Security, head of the “Jewish Power” party, Itamar Ben Gvir, and turning the police chief into a subordinate of the minister.
A third bill, known in the media as the “Smotrich Law,” has also been passed, and the bill allows the leader of the “religious Zionist” party to gain ministerial powers in the defense ministry, condemned by the defense minister in the current government, Benny Gantz.
Under Israeli law, these bills must be voted on in 3 more readings to become effective.
fundamentalist state
And in Israel the internal debate on the form of the future far-right government continues, and opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu say it will lead the country to become a “fundamentalist state”.
Yesterday, Tuesday, Netanyahu said in a Knesset speech that Israel will not transform itself into a religious fundamentalist state, but rather will remain a state for all its citizens, as he said.
The Israeli prime minister-designate has pledged to form a government according to the principles of liberal national law and maintain the status quo in religious-secular relations, he said.
A large segment of Israelis view Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition of far-right parties with suspicion.
Concerns increased after an Israeli channel published what it said were points included in the coalition agreement between the Likud party and one of the coalition parties relating to elements of a religious extremist nature, but the Likud confirmed that it was only requests.
