The Knesset winter session begins on Monday evening 3 Tishrei. Parliamentarians will hear from President Reuven Rivlin and then from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The coalition will then face five no-confidence motions; from Shas, Meretz, Hadash-Balad, Ra’am-Ta’al and Yahadut Hatorah.
While the prime minister is trying to appease coalition partner Bayit Yehudi by advancing construction in Yerushalayim, Yehuda and Shomron, Mr. Netanyahu will also have to contend with other partners include Yesh Atid and The Movement parties.
One of the major pieces of legislation heading for the Knesset is the Giyur Bill sponsored by MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern. The prime minister threw it off of the cabinet agenda and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni now plans to push the bill through the Knesset. Bayit Yehudi reportedly agreed to remain a loyal coalition partner in exchange for construction. This would signal that the controversial bill is likely to pass into law via the Knesset. And yet another bill is Yesh Atid’s Zero VAT Bill, the bill sponsored by Finance Minister Yair Lapid which was toppled by the prime minister too. Lapid has stated on numerous occasions that this bill is a deal-breaker and if it does not pass, a coalition crisis will result.
Political analysts are split, with some veterans certain the countdown to new elections has begun. Others however are confident that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will use his well-honed political skills to ride out the storm and survive the winter session while avoiding early elections.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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‘One of the major pieces of legislation heading for the Knesset is the Giyur Bill sponsored by MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern. The prime minister threw it off of the cabinet agenda and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni now plans to push the bill through the Knesset. Bayit Yehudi reportedly agreed to remain a loyal coalition partner in exchange for construction. This would signal that the controversial bill is likely to pass into law via the Knesset.’
The next political “big bang”?
Shas Chairman MK Aryeh Deri, announced Sunday that his party will cooperate with Moshe Kahlon, who announced last week he is forming a new political party. Deri stated that: “If he will get 10 mandates we could work together to promote change – Kahlon is aware of the social issues, he grew up where I grew up. We both grew up in poverty”.
“After the elections there will be other players in the political arena. Kahlon will receive our full support – even if he’ll take a mandate or two from me – Kahlon brings something new to the table”, said the former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri. “We won’t fight each other: on the contrary – I welcome him.
Health Minister’s measure to allow LGBT, single-parent use of country’s surrogacy services on track to become law despite difficult debate.
10.28.14, 00:19
After a divisive floor debate, the Knesset plenum approved legislation on Monday to allow same-sex couples to use surrogacy services on first reading. Health Minister Yael German’s proposal must still survive a second and third reading before it is passed into law.
The new amendment to the existing surrogacy law would cover single-parent cases and the use of surrogate mothers abroad. During the fractious session, 45 Knesset members supported the proposal, 15 opposed, and three abstained.
The proposal intends a dramatic change in surrogacy policy, easing the bureaucratic maze same-sex couples faced, specifically when the surrogacy process was undertaken in foreign countries.
Same-sex couples arriving from Thailand (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Same-sex couples arriving from Thailand (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
German’s amendment does not explicitly address LGBT parents, but allows “every individual” to become a parent using the surrogacy services – up until the age of 54. The surrogate mother’s maximum age was raised two years to 38, while a Health Ministry committee would supervise the process, with costs limited to 160,000 shekels.
The initiative was supported by most factions in the coalition – Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beiteinu, Hatnua, and the Likud – while the opposition had internal disagreements. Zehava Gal-On, Tamar Zandberg, and Michal Rozin from Meretz opposed the proposal while Nitzan Horovitz and Ilan Gilon supported the amendment.
Labor chose to unanimously support German’s proposal, though some faction members chose to abstain to demonstrate their disapproval.
Naftali Bennet’s Bayit Yehudi stringently opposed the measure, claiming it would change the family structure in Israel – but the faction allowed its members to independently vote in order to quell disorder.
The religious party, Shas, spoke out against the proposal. “This is a corrupt law. Only sinner could support it,” said MK Nisim Ze’ev. “What is this import and export of babies? It’s like we’re talking about frozen meat. The law allows for the creation of a child without the approval of the father. What is this chutzpah?”
3 Cheshvan * (not Tishrei).