67 lawmakers voted in Knesset on Wednesday in a preliminary reading of a bill sponsored by MK (Kadima) Eli Aflalo to grant tax breaks for residents of the Golan Heights.

Perhaps more interesting than the proposed 13% tax break offered by the bill, is the fact that Aflalo’s party was divided in the vote. 11 MKs backed his bill, including Shaul Mofaz, who is trying to win over the party leadership slot, and 5 opposed the bill, including party leader Tzipi Livni.

Despite the fact that most of Kadima supported the bill, Livni released a statement criticizing the prime minister and coalition. She called for postponing the vote for a number of weeks to permit the political climate regarding Syria to calm down.

Some Kadima MKs accuse Livni of dragging the party to the extreme left. Most analysts reported the bill overall resulted in a major political victory for Likud and the coalition while leaving the Kadima leader with egg on her face.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)