Meretz threatens coalition over controversial bill
The citizenship law continues to cause controversy in the Knesset as MKs fight over its reimplementation.
By GIL HOFFMAN
Published: FEBRUARY 3, 2022
The coalition leadership decided on Thursday to let MKs vote their conscience on the controversial citizenship bills that would tighten immigration controls and make it harder for Palestinians who marry Israeli Arabs to receive citizenship. There are three versions of the bill, sponsored by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman and Likud MK Avi Dichter, which will all be brought to a vote next week. The coalition has failed at passing all of them until now due to internal dissent and the opposition’s refusal to pass any bill sponsored by the coalition.
The new strategy of not enforcing a vote by the coalition is intended to enable at least one version of the bill to pass into law, as the High Court of Justice requires. But Meretz, which opposes all three versions of the bill, vowed to take revenge against the coalition. “We oppose this cruel bill,” Meretz minister Tamar Zandberg told the Knesset Channel. “Allowing freedom of voting is a nice way of saying ‘undermining the coalition.’ It’s unacceptable to us. The coalition cannot work this way. In a coalition of 61, there is a lot we can do. There will be steps taken.”
more............. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-695455
The citizenship law continues to cause controversy in the Knesset as MKs fight over its reimplementation.
By GIL HOFFMAN
Published: FEBRUARY 3, 2022
The coalition leadership decided on Thursday to let MKs vote their conscience on the controversial citizenship bills that would tighten immigration controls and make it harder for Palestinians who marry Israeli Arabs to receive citizenship. There are three versions of the bill, sponsored by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, Religious Zionist Party MK Simcha Rothman and Likud MK Avi Dichter, which will all be brought to a vote next week. The coalition has failed at passing all of them until now due to internal dissent and the opposition’s refusal to pass any bill sponsored by the coalition.
The new strategy of not enforcing a vote by the coalition is intended to enable at least one version of the bill to pass into law, as the High Court of Justice requires. But Meretz, which opposes all three versions of the bill, vowed to take revenge against the coalition. “We oppose this cruel bill,” Meretz minister Tamar Zandberg told the Knesset Channel. “Allowing freedom of voting is a nice way of saying ‘undermining the coalition.’ It’s unacceptable to us. The coalition cannot work this way. In a coalition of 61, there is a lot we can do. There will be steps taken.”
more............. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-695455
