Will the fine law tangle come to an end? Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin announced this morning (Friday) that The Knesset plenum will convene on Sunday to approve the law on second and third reading. Meanwhile, if it is approved, the government is expected to approve the extension of the closure.
Defense Minister Bnei Gantz in a threatening message in light of the law on increasing fines (Photo: without credit)
Levin announced that “following my appeal to the House factions, the objections to the plenary session on Sunday were removed in order to vote in the second and third readings on the Fines Law.” Thus, the plenum will convene by consensus on Sunday at 2 p.m., while the closing date, at present, is on the night between Sunday and Monday.
A source in blue and white told Maariv: “First of all, they seem to understand our insistence and really pass the second and third reading because otherwise there is nothing to talk about a closure in its current form. If that happens, the cabinet meeting will convene and discuss whether and how to continue the closure.”
The special assembly of the plenum on Sunday morning instead of Monday was made possible after the chairman of the joint list faction, MK Ahmad Tibi, informed the speaker of the Knesset that he was removing his opposition that prevented the plenary assembly from taking place yesterday. One party’s opposition is enough for the plenum not to convene.
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Tibi explained why he finally agreed: “The Speaker of the Knesset turned to us and asked to hold the plenary session on Sunday morning instead of Monday and also said that he might exercise discretion for a plenary session on Sunday. We responded in the affirmative because in the meantime we have achieved what was important to us – we raised the issue of the police’s selective over-enforcement precisely in the Arab sector as the data teach and we raised the issue. We asked to merge the plenum day and the Monday chess proposals on Sunday. In any case, we will vote against. “
The saga of the fines law began on Monday this week. The bill includes, among other things, increasing the amount of fines from NIS 5,000 to NIS 10,000, as well as giving authority to police officers or a district physician to close institutions that operate in violation of guidelines. The ultra-Orthodox parties and the Likud supported the “Gafni-Levin” compromise, a softer outline of the law in which fines will gradually increase and only a senior policeman will be able to give them. Blue and White, on the other hand, vehemently opposed this outline, making it clear that the law would be passed “as written and as worded,” and threatened that if it did not pass, it would oppose extending the closure.
Discussion by the Constitution Committee on increasing fines. Photo: Knesset Spokeswoman
As you may recall, in blue and white they made it clear that they would not agree to the convening of the government as long as the Fines Law was not finally approved in the plenum and said yesterday: “There will be no compromise regarding the law for equal enforcement. Enough with the Likud’s attempts to cheat. If there is no closure for everyone equally – there will be no closure. It’s time to dump her and move on. “