Bayit Yehudi Chairman Minister Naftali Bennett has made his position clear. For him and his party, support for the state budget will be contingent on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu moving forward with a national referendum bill that would make any deal involving land concessions with the PA (Palestinian Authority) contingent on a national approval vote. Failure in obtaining plebiscite approval for such agreements would prevent a government from accepting the agreement. According to Bennett and others, the prime minister signed a commitment to pass such a bill into law in the coalition agreements – promising to accomplish this within 90 days of taking office. With the announced imminent renewal of the negotiations between Israel and the PA, the issue of a national referendum bill has become significantly more immediate for Bennett and his colleagues.

The Knesset already passed such a bill into law regarding the Golan Heights. However, the bill is not applicable to Yehuda or Shomron, since they are not annexed as is the case regarding the Golan.

Surprising some perhaps, Yisrael Beitenu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman’s voice is counted among opponents of the bill. He feels a national referendum is nothing more than a vehicle permitting leaders to shirk their responsibility. Lieberman feels that if Israel wishes to mimic Switzerland and have national referendum votes on all major issues, that is fine, but he will not support this selective process, which he views as nothing more than permitting state leaders to avoid the burden of making critical decisions.

The Movement party leader Justice Minister Tzipi Livni however sees the reality from a radically different approach. She admits that even though she signed the same coalition agreements she will oppose the national referendum legislation. She explains that she cannot support a one way bill – legislation that permits disqualifying a government agreement but on the other hand to prevent handing over additional land to the PA, it does not give the people the right to demand ceding land for peace should the administration be opposed.

Labor opposition party leader MK Shelly Yacimovich is opposed, for she views this as contrary to the democratic process – simply a bill providing a vehicle to sabotage talks with the PA.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)