According to a report released via Facebook by prominent journalist Yoav Karkovsky, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has asked Minister of Welfare Chaim Katz to resign from Knesset to permit the next person on the Likud roster to enter Knesset. That person is Har Habayis activist Yehuda Glick.

The reason behind the move is that Katz has announced he will not back the Prime Minister’s natural gas plan, which he feels would be a conflict of interests. Hence Mr. Netanyahu wishes to bring Glick into Knesset for the latter has stated he would back the gas plan in its current format.

Katz would continue serving as a cabinet minister but this would bring Glick in and his vote would bring the support base for the bill from 60 to 61, a one-vote majority.

According to Karkovsky’s report, at this time Katz refuses to comply with the request to resign from Knesset.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)