Is the Governance Bill Intended to Keep the Right-Wing Out?

The debate over the Governance Bill has begun in Knesset, albeit in an empty plenum as the 52 members of the opposition have made good on their threat to boycott the session.

The major opponents to the bill, which increases the minimum threshold to enter Knesset from two to four seats, are the Arab parties. There are three Arab parties with a total of 11 seats in Knesset, the Hadash Party, Ra’am-Ta’al, and National Democratic Assembly.

However there is an accusing voice from outside Knesset, former MK Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, whose Otzma Yisrael party failed to pass the minimum threshold in the last Knesset election. He feels the bill is really aimed at him, to keep the true voice of the right-wing out of Knesset. The party was only shy of entering Knesset by 9,000 seats.

Ben-Ari points out that “the dirty trick” was used against the right-wing in three Knesset elections as the minimum threshold continues to increase. Ben-Ari decries the move which he calls “anti-democratic”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

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2 Responses

MDshweks says:

March 10, 2014 9:41 pm at 9:41 pm

He’s 100% right.

If the aim of this bill is not to have so many parties in the Kneset, why not add to the law that after the election anyone who fails to meet the amount can have his votes go to the party of his next best choice, to the party closest to his ideology, – Why not?

They basically making so many people’s voices not heard at all,..

The left know that they are a minority. They have already brought Russians and Arabs to help the cause, but it’s not enough…
akuperma says:

March 10, 2014 9:50 pm at 9:50 pm

It force all small parties to consolidate. The hareidi parties have largely done so already, meaning Degel ha-Torah and Agudah have to stay together. For anyone to the right of the existing parties to get into the Kenesset, they’ll have to unite to reach the four-seat minimum, or settle for being backbenchers in either Likud or Bayit Yehudi. The left wing and Arab parties have similar problems, especially the Arabs who are divided between the pro-Islamic party, the secular nationalist party, and the Jewish-Arab (nominal) communists.