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Minister Peretz resigns, committee split on new West Bank legislation
Environment Minister Amir Peretz resigned yesterday and sharply criticised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, ministers were split on a bill to apply Israeli law to citizens in the West Bank.
Peretz, who is a prominent member of Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah Party announced his intention to resign on Saturday night. He said that he had joined the government to “give it a chance,” but that since diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinian Authority ended, “both the situation and the spirit of the government have changed.” Peretz called on “all political figures to unite in order to offer an alternative. Netanyahu is not the solution – he is the problem.” Opposition and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog MK predicted that Peretz’s resignation is “the beginning of the end” for Netanyahu’s government.
Meanwhile, the Ministerial Committee on Legislation yesterday narrowly approved a bill by six votes to four, sponsored by Likud and Jewish Home MKs which would apply Israeli law to citizens living in the West Bank. The area is currently subject to military law as it has never been officially annexed by Israel. The bill’s proponents say it will simply “equalize” norms for all Israelis. However, it opposed by Finance Minister, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Tzipi Livni, who commented that, “the real goal of this bill is to normalize an abnormal situation – an expanding occupation masquerading as civil rights.”
Political tension will likely intensify with the Knesset set to begin debating the 2015 state budget today. The cabinet only agreed to the draft budget after much wrangling between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Lapid, while the opposition has vowed to strongly oppose it.
In another political development yesterday, Netanyahu and Likud Central Committee Chair, MK Danny Danon agreed to hold a party leadership primary on 6 January. The date was a compromise between the two. As yet, only MK Moshe Feiglin has declared his candidacy against Netanyahu, who is widely expected to secure victory.