The bill which intends to apply Israel sovereignty over areas of Yehuda and Shomron has been pushed off Sunday, 26 Shevat, and therefore, it will not be voted upon in the Knesset Law Committee as scheduled.

According to officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the decision was made after consulting with coalition party leaders, who agree the current security realities demands pushing the legislation aside.

MK (Likud) Yoav Kish, who authored the bill, does not concur but believes current realities are even more of a reason to move ahead with the legislation. Hence, he was unwilling to comply to remove the bill from the agenda when asked to do so. Kish also heads the Knesset Land of Israel Caucus.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wishes to slow the bill down, for he feels such a bill cannot advance without first clearing it with the White House. Mr. Netanyahu clearly does not wish to present the Trump administration with a fait accompli, telling Kish and others the issues must first be discussed and approved by the Americans.

Whatever the case, the vote on the bill has been pushed off following the weekend events, including the escalation of warfare between Israel and Syria.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)