Knesset fast-tracks bill to prevent court from ordering PM to recuse himself
The Knesset House Committee is trying to pass a bill that would protect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from using a court order against himself.
The committee – with the support of Likud MK Ofir Katz, the main sponsor of the bill – grants the bill an exemption from having to wait until next week to give it a second and third final vote, on the floor.
It is expected to come up for a vote tonight or tomorrow, and the opposition is poised to mount a fierce filibuster against the bill, which many of its members have painted as “tailored” to save Netanyahu from possible legal trouble.
However, Katz says opposition and coalition representatives have already agreed to limit the debate on the withdrawal bill to a maximum of 16 hours, meaning the opposition’s abstention will be largely symbolic. . Katz also announces that the opposition will have up to 16 hours to cut the bill, making it likely that it will pass tomorrow morning or evening.
The legislation expressly prevents the supreme court from ordering a prime minister to take leave of absence. According to the bill, only a majority vote of three-quarters of government ministers or MKs can force a chief executive to take temporary leave, and then only for reasons of mental or physical health.
