Jeremy's Knesset Insider

There were seven items on the agenda for Tuesday’s short hour and forty five minute session. Following the one minute speeches, two bills were passed in their third reading and three bills passed in their first reading, along with a committee request that was also passed.

The main reason for the light day both today and yesterday is because of Kadima’s and Meretz’s decision not to criticize the government during this difficult time of hasbara. Another reason is Balad, Chadash and Ra’am-Ta’al for the second straight day boycotted the Knesset, not even entering the building. The third reason is that most of the ministers are assisting with the media blitz. Lastly, with no opposition and few MKs present, there were no motions, and only legislation with opposition support was presented. At 19:03, about an hour and fifteen minutes after the plenum session ended, the only MK who remained in the building was MK Zevulen Orlev (Jewish Home), and he was gone by 19:09.

One Minute Speeches

Speaker Rivlin was back after yesterday’s absence and presided over the 14 MKs who mostly spoke about yesterday’s events. It should be noted that 14 is a record low for the current summer session and fewer than 40 MKs were even in the building.

MK Magadla (Labor) and MK Wilf (Labor) both eulogized former Labor MK Luba Eliav, who is being buried today.

MK Ezra (Kadima) supported the I.D.F. in their courageous actions yesterday and wished the injured a full recovery.

MK Finan (Likud) condemned MK Zoabi (Balad) who was aboard one of the ships headed for the Gaza blockade and labeled her a full partner in yesterday’s deaths.

MK Ben-Ari (N.U.) spoke about the Parshat Hashavua ‘Shalach’ and focused on the spies’ sin of bad mouthing Israel.

MK Hotoveli (Likud) condemned the disengagement in Gaza and explained that is the reason no one has a true answer for what should be done with Gaza. She called on Israel not to give into temptation and allow a terrorist Hamastan.

MK Mula (Kadima) supported yesterday’s I.D.F. response and criticized the hasbara along with Hasbara Minister Edelstein, who was in Canada until this morning.

MK Eldad (N.U.) slammed the Prime-Minister of Turkey’s accusation of an Israeli genocide by bringing up the topic of the Armenian genocide, during which Turkey allegedly killed hundreds of thousands.

MK Orbach (J.H.) blasted the Israeli press for labeling the Gaza ships “humanitarian ships”.

MK Ketzeleh (N.U.) quoted MK Tibi (Ra’am-Ta’al), who said last week that he despised all settlers. He said that Tibi’s words were followed by the despicable terrorist actions of yesterday.

MK Levi-Abukasis (Y.B.) talked about the conditions of minors in jail.

MK Shitrit (Kadima) supported the government’s decision to stop the provocation of yesterday. He suggested Israel work on their hasbara efforts for future events.

MK Miller (Y.B.) recalled the Dalfanirium dance club terrorist attack that killed many teenagers nine years ago today.

MK Matalon (Y.B.) spoke about his visit to the injured soldiers in the hospital today. He applauded the opposition for supporting the government during this difficult time.

Amendment on the prevention of employment of sex offenders in certain institutions bill

MK Rotem (Y.B.) explained that the amendment is meant to expand the application of the prevention to other institutions. He praised the eight MKs who co-sponsored the amendment that will prevent sex offenders of working in places that involve contact with children. Rotem, whose committee will fund the publication of the bill, labeled the bill one of the most important laws of the year.

The bill passed 16-0 in its second reading and 17-0 in its third reading.

MK Levi-Abukasis, a first term MK, thanked her colleagues who supported her first bill passed in the Knesset, despite the fact that it is a budget bill. She expressed this law will make Israel safer for our children.

Amendment on the Standard Contracts Bill

MK Rotem explained that the amendment will help the average person learn exactly what he is signing on.  The amendment will fund the publication of the contents of the bill, which includes citizens’ responsibilities when signing a standard contract, in order to make the bill more accessible to everyone. Another item in the amendment is that if a contract does not have an approval seal from a court judge, the contract is void.

The bill passed 14-0 in both its second and third reading.

MK Kirschenbaum (Y.B.) thanked her co-sponsors and colleagues.

Request of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee to apply the continuity law to the Adopting Children Bill

The request was approved by the Knesset 11-0. It was a bill from the previous Knesset proposed by MK Orlev that is now approved to be advanced in this one.

Amendment on the State Education Bill

MK Orlev (J.H.) explained the amendment on the extension of office of certain national religious public office holders beyond the four year term limit with the approval of the government. It also would allow a new Education Minister to fire people in the case of a new election.

MK Ben-Ari (N.U.) discussed the 63 year anniversary of Ben-Gurion’s decision to sink the Altelena ship, which killed 16 of Menachem Begin’s men. He suggested that perhaps Israel could have done the same thing with the ships yesterday headed for Gaza. Speaker Rivlin expressed his regret that he can’t attend the memorial service going on tonight, due to his obligation to the Knesset.

MK Ze’ev (Shas) asked why we need separate public office positions for the national religious and hinted that these were indeed political appointments.

MK Orlev defended his bill stating that the public office positions are determined by law and essential. He explained that the amendment is asking to simply extend these job terms beyond the four years or for a new Minister to appoint people he can trust on important issues.

The bill passed in its first reading 10-0 and was sent back to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, of which MK Orlev is the chairman, in order to advance the bill for its second and third readings.

Amendment on the Traffic Ordinance Bill

MK Orlev explained that the amendment would improve the placement of handicap parking signs throughout the country. He said there are many places that have no handicap parking and there is a severe lack of enforcement. The fine for possession of a fake handicap pass will be raised from 600 NIS to 1,000 NIS.

MK Ben-Ari said the problem with pluralism is that it enables extreme leftists to criticize every Israeli action and confuses some citizens, like those who yesterday opted to support the enemy. He said that the real freedom is the borders and red lines we call laws.

MK Matalon, who is handicapped, said he supports the bill.

MK Ze’ev defended his position in the committee that Orlev’s proposed 5,000 NIS was too high a fine for a fake handicap pass and expressed satisfaction that the committee agreed to lower it to 1,000 NIS, a more reasonable fine.

MK Orlev requested a minute response. He defended his 5,000 NIS fine proposal and said the proposed raise to 1,000 NIS is temporary and just a stepping stone.

The Knesset voted in favor 11-0 in the bill’s first reading, and the matter was sent to the Finance Committee.

MK Ketzeleh, himself handicapped, suggested that 90% of the fine be given to the handicapped person who was affected himself.

Amendment on the Public Health Ordinance Bill

MK Ketzeleh explained that his new amendment would require changes in the labeling of sugars in food so that it would be clear what kind of sugar was used and also the amount of sugar used. He said that there was similar law passed in America and that this will help the consumer lead a healthier life. Ketzeleh went on to give a speech in favor of eating healthy in which he burst out laughing and left the stage.

MK Ben-Ari talked about the fear Israelis had of Um-El-Fachem’s response to yesterday’s events. He labeled them Palestinians in waiting who are only Israelis when they can get something out of it. He called on the public to join the 18:00 solidarity rally in favor of the I.D.F.

MK Eldad (N.U.) responded to the United Nations Security Council demand that Israel release all of the boats’ passengers and send the boats home with a simple – no. Eldad recognized the Kurdim and supported their fight for independence of Kurdistan. Eldad suggested maybe we can send the Turkish ships to the Kurdim, because they are the ones who are in need of humanitarian aid.

MK Ze’ev said that this was the most original bill he has ever seen. He said the bill will fight diabetes but not high blood pressure. He proposed adding salt to the sugar bill in order to help more people. He went on to blast the education of big brother, survivor and other reality shows that promote unhealthy people. He closed by speaking about a ten year old girl he met who was wearing a t-shirt that was said ‘sex online, call me ‘.

MK Orbach suggested limiting the law to only certain products, not all of them.

The Knesset voted 12-0 and passed the bill in its first reading. The bill was sent to the Labor Welfare and Health Committee.

The events on the water were addressed by almost every speaker on Monday. Most of the day’s original agenda was delayed or cancelled. The short hour and twenty minute session dealt with one motion discussed by six MKs and one bill discussed by eight MKs. The highlight of the day was Benny Begin’s (Likud) fiery speech.

The two no confidence motions that were planned for the beginning of Monday’s session were withdrawn due to the day’s events. For those of you who are curious, the first motion of no confidence was by the Balad, Chadash, Ra’am-Ta’al and Meretz parties on the subject of: The rise in violence and incitement by religious extremism in the country. The second one was a motion of no confidence by Kadima on the subject of the Israeli government, which they feel threaten the lives of civilians by the decision to cancel the “school road safety education program”.

Deputy Speaker Vaknin (Shas) opened the session instead of Speaker Rivlin (Likud). He began by expressing support for the I.D.F. and wished the injured soldiers a speedy recovery. This was the first day of the summer session that Speaker Rivlin did not open or attend.

Motion on the United States supporting the demand to monitor Israel’s nuclear facilities

MK Michaeli (Shas) said the whole world is against us and if our one friend can’t help us, we might need to fight for ourselves. He expressed frustration that America is not supporting Israel in the “Boat Crisis” and that they allowed the United Nations Security Council to condemn Israel.

MK Pelsner (Kadima) spoke in support of the Israeli troops, who are fighting terrorists, not human rights activists, in the sea. Pelsner urged that Israel release videos that support our cause and to go on a media blitz in order to counter the bad press Israel is receiving. He also spoke about the new American policy that is anti-nuclear for all countries and how that challenges the current Israeli position. He said Israel must determine the appropriate response to America’s demand of having a nuclear free Middle East on all sides.

MK Eldad (N.U.) expressed his support to the troops and to the government for not backing down. He also wished the injured well. Eldad spoke about the American support of Israel’s nuclear research which started in the 1960’s with President Johnson and has been ongoing for almost 40 years. Eldad questioned if Egypt would also need to give up their nukes in the new American plan. He called Obama a traitor to Israel and said his one mistake is that he could have blackmailed us a bit longer with the threat of implementing his new Middle East plan.

MK Gilon (Meretz) said that Meretz recognizes that the ships should not have illegally entered Israel’s waters, but when one boards a ship one should not be surprised when the passengers opt to fight back. He also said that there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and that Israel should not be surprised by the ships or the negative coverage in the press. Gilon suggested that Israel accept the new American policy and give up their arsenal of weapons.

Minister Begin (Likud) expressed his gratitude to the three Jewish opposition parties who expressed support in the government, in at least some matter. Begin said he regretted the loss of lives today. He suggested people realize why this happened. He reminded us that Hamas came to power in a free, democratic and independent election on the platform of terrorism and the liberation of land based on the destruction of the Zionist state. Hezbollah another terrorist organization has the same platform as Hamas. They are both arming with weapons via Iran for an all out war where the three groups will try to destroy Israel and push all the Zionists into the sea. Today’s events were led by organizations that do not support peace, they support Hamas and they support terrorism. After learning what and who was aboard, Israel was left with no choice but to uphold the law. Begin surprised the MKs present by disclosing that Israel will follow the normal protocol with ships headed to Gaza, and after a thorough check, the permitted materials will be allowed entry into Gaza. Begin summarized the day’s events as Israel’s right to self defense against terrorism.

Begin went on to express his frustration with the actions of the United States concerning their calls to Israel regarding nuclear weapons, as well as their inaction in allowing the U.N. to condemn Israel for the day’s events.

MK Ze’ev (Shas) asked to have a minute speech and stated that Israel is both the only country that has a day to day threat of destruction and the only democracy. He expressed hope that America would reconsider their positions.

The motion was sent to the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee by a vote of 14-0.

Amendment to the Druze Religious Courts Bill

MK Amar (Y.B.) expressed his support of the I.D.F. then spoke about his proposed amendment. He suggested the law, which had not been touched since 1962, be updated. He thanked MK Levin (Likud) for helping him advance the bill in the relevant committees despite the bill not being for Jewish interests.

MK Levin said he was honored to join in advancing this much needed list of updates that will help improve and modernize a flawed bill. He said that he expected all Jews to assist in this Druze issue, because they are our loyal partners in our beloved country.

MK Ilatov (Y.B.) talked about the cooperation on the amendment between the coalition and the opposition.

MK Ketzeleh (N.U.) called Druze MK Amar a hero for his community by advancing this very important bill. He went on to wish the injured soldiers well. Ketzeleh questioned the method of using paint guns and the uneven coverage by the army radio station – Gali Tzahal. MK Pelsner questioned Ketzeleh’s words. Ketzeleh responded that Gali Tzahal called the ships “Humanitarian Ships”. He questioned how a humanitarian ship could injure 6 soldiers.

MK Ben-Ari (N.U.) spoke warmly of MK Levin’s words and the Druze community in general. He spoke about last week’s ten year anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Ben-Ari charged that Israel betrayed our SLA (Southern Lebanese’s Army) allies with that withdrawal and expressed hope that Israel not betray the Druze too. Ben-Ari criticized Netanyahu for supporting another withdrawal called the disengagement and for his declarations towards a Palestinian state.

MK Walhaba (Kadima) defended Gali Tzahal and criticized MK Ketzeleh. He went on to criticize and accuse MK Ben-Ari of wanting to re-conquer Gaza and kill the peace process. Walhaba said this is the time for Israel to be united and that the opposition right-wingers should take the hint. The only other Druze MK in the Knesset, Walhaba expressed his support for the bill.

MK Rotem (Y.B.) wished all the soldiers well and expressed satisfaction with the opposition siding with the government during this difficult time. Rotem praised the bill. He suggested the bill be brought to his committee in order to advance the bill to its second and third readings before the end of the summer session.

MK Ze’ev discussed a few of the proposed changes in the amendment and expressed his opposition, based mostly on what it could mean for the rabbinical court system. He went on to condemn the Arab MKs who caused a provocation when they joined the ‘Flotila’ headed for Hamas’s Gaza. He went on to express his support of Chairman of the House Committee MK Levin’s plan to vote on the matter of lifting the Arab MKs’ immunity on this matter.

The Knesset voted 12-0 to pass the amendment in its first reading. The amendment was sent to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chaired by MK Rotem.