BICOM

Following a lengthy debate, the Knesset voted against a contentious bill yesterday that called for the set up of a panel of inquiry to investigate left-wing Israeli NGOs. In total, 28 Knesset members voted for and 57 voted against the two bills, proposed by Likud MK Danny Dannon and Yisrael Beiteinu MK Faina Kirschenbaum. The landslide vote came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had applied pressure on Likud MKs to vote against the bill that was put forth by the Yisrael Beiteinu party. Only eight Likud MKs voted in favor of the bill, while several faction members were absent. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin as well as Likud ministers Gideon Sa’ar, Michael Eitan, Dan Meridor, Yuval Steinitz, Moshe Kahlon, and Bennie Begin voted against the bill.

The debate over the bill lasted six hours in the Knesset. Opposition leader Tzipi Livni called the vote “a victory for sanity over the coalition of Netanyahu”. The vote against the bill is seen as a political victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who criticised Netanyahu’s lack of support of the bill after the vote. Speaking after the vote, Lieberman said that it was not his intention to destabilise the coalition. However, Israeli commentators are beginning to speculate that the divergence between PM Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman is an indication of early electoral posturing ahead of Israel’s next general election.