Jeremy's Knesset Insider

Monday’s Knesset session lasted about four hours. Six bills were discussed. Two bills became law after passing their third readings, and four were advanced after passing their first readings. The new laws provide widows of fallen soldiers from before 1999 with a one-time grant of NIS 100,000 and force the Speaker to report on the Knesset’s budget to the House Committee half-way through the budget year. The three no-confidence motions were defeated.

Non-Bills Summary

* Kadima’s no-confidence motion titled ‘The helplessness of the Netanyahu government in the face of increasing violence and extremism in Israeli society’ was defeated 35-50 with 35 MKs not present.

* Labor and Meretz’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘The government’s inability to enforce law in the territories that brought hooliganism against IDF soldiers, Palestinians and leftists’ was defeated 34-52 with 34 MKs not present.

* Hadash, Ra’am-Ta’al and Balad’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘Establishing a checkpoint by Shuafat and the decision to close the Mughrabi Bridge’ was defeated 9-51 with 4 MKs abstaining and 56 MKs not present.

Bills Summary

Amendment to the Payment of Pensions to Reserve Soldiers and their Families Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz (Likud) explained the amendment would present the widow or parents of a fallen soldier from before 1999 a one-time grant of NIS 100,000 over two installments in 2012 and 2013. He expressed regret that 224 orphans will not receive this grant because both of their parents are dead. He slammed Defense Minister Barak and the defense establishment and vowed that he will submit a bill to help those 224 orphans. He stated that this group of widows was discriminated against because widows of soldiers fallen after 1999 receive a monthly pension and until this bill widows from before 1999 have received nothing.

MK Eldad (N.U.) said that these widows have fought for their rights for over a decade. He expressed regret that they will only receive partial compensation for their loss and said they should have been allowed to receive a pension as well.

The bill passed its second reading 64-0.

The bill passed its third reading 66-0.

Amendment to the Antitrust Bill

Industry and Trade Minister Simhon (Independence) explained the amendment would increase monetary sanctions on those who violate antitrust and monopoly laws. He said the current sanctions are not strong enough and the new sanctions will help Israel meet the OECD standards for antitrust laws.

MK Eichler (U.T.J.) slammed the press for the increasing incitement against the ultra-orthodox and Opposition Leader Livni for speaking out against the public that he represents.

MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech at the one year anniversary of the Carmel Fire. He charged that Netanyahu’s office forced the host of the evening to read off of a piece of paper praising the Prime Minister. He said that today Israel acted just like North Korea.

MK Levin (Likud) agreed with Deputy Speaker Akunis (Likud) that MK Hasson was inciting against the Prime Minister and that his speech had nothing to do with the bill at hand. He disagreed with the Deputy Speaker that this matter should be sent to the Ethics Committee, citing the MK’s freedom of expression.

The bill passed its first reading 33-0 and was sent to the Finance Committee.

Amendment to the Prohibition of Money Laundering Bill

Deputy Minister Shalom (Likud) defended MK Hasson and his words. He went on to explain that the amendment would update the regulation and sanctions on money laundering in order to meet the new international standards. He added that the amendment would also update the regulation and sanctions on money laundering for terrorism purposes as proposed by the Financial Action Task Force. MK Hasson made sure to heckle what he called a ‘North Korean dictatorship’.

MK Eichler recalled the infamous 11-hour filibuster speech of MK Eitan from the budget discussion of 1992, which was in its entirety on topic. He went on to blast Hasson for calling Israel North Korea and said that Israel still allows MKs to speak their will from the Knesset podium. He went on to blast anyone who incites against the ultra-orthodox. He said it is his public’s right to protest against the government or the Supreme Court for inciting against them and called on his public to do so.

MK Zeev (Shas) supported the bill. He said that today MK Hasson should be memorializing those who lost their lives in the Carmel fire and not playing political games with Netanyahu.

MK Ben Ari (N.U.) drew a parallel between the Greeks of Hanukah and Israel’s enemies of today. He read several paragraphs from the book of the Maccabees.

The bill passed its first reading 24-0 and was sent to the Justice Committee.

Amendment to the Foundations of the Budget Bill

House Committee Chairman Levin explained his amendment would require the Speaker to report to the House Committee half-way through a budget year on the implementation of the Knesset’s budget. He expressed hope this would help the Speaker utilize all of the funds that were approved for the Knesset.

The bill passed its second reading 15-0.

The bill passed its third reading 13-0.

Amendment to the Knesset Bill

House Committee Chairman Levin explained the amendment would match the Knesset Bill with Basic Law: The Knesset and the Knesset Elections Bill. He said that the Knesset Bill has some outdated clauses that should be repealed in order to match the other two bills. He reported that the Hadash party has expressed concerns over the amendment and those concerns will be discussed in committee. He noted the government has decided not to intervene on this bill because it is an internal Knesset matter.

The bill passed its first reading 14-0 and was sent to the House Committee.

Amendment to the Traffic Ordinance Bill

MK Bielski (Kadima) explained his amendment would force every company vehicle to have a sticker with a phone number that allows drivers to report bad drivers to the company. He said that the company must create a tracking system for these bad drivers and take them off the road after repeated complaints. He stressed that the 27,340 policemen in Israel are overworked, and the country needs at least 50,000 policemen. He said that having more policemen would change the driving culture in Israel, but until that happens the citizens should act as policemen and complain about bad drivers to their companies. He noted that this bill will also apply to MKs.

MK Zeev (Shas) supported and praised the bill. He defended his record for the annual most speeches given from the podium ‘award’, which he wins every year. He disagreed with the clause that would force MKs to follow this proposed new law.

The bill passed its first reading 14-0 and was sent to the Finance Committee.

The Wednesday Knesset session lasted six hours. 17 bills were discussed. Eight bills were advanced after passing their preliminary readings, two were defeated, three were turned into motions and four were not brought up for a vote in order to avoid defeat. The bills advanced will exempt old age homes from municipal taxes, increase funding to the Dead Sea area, allow citizens in national service to vote near their workplace, allow Jews to stay in Israel for up to five years without making aliyah and prohibit alternative therapists from engaging in sexual relations with patients. Seven of nine motions were passed to the various committees for further discussion.

Non-Bills Summary

* Deputy Health Minister Litzman (U.T.J.) and Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon (Y.B.) answered urgent queries at the beginning of the session.

* Nine motions were discussed. Seven were sent to various committees for further discussion by the votes 9-0, 8-0, 8-0, 5-0, 6-0, 4-0 and 4-0. Two were not voted on.

* House Committee Chairman Levin (Likud) announced which disputed bills will be discussed in which committees. He also announced changes in committee assignments: MKs Cabel (Labor), Avraham Balila (Kadima) and Whbee (Kadima) will replace MKs Ben Simon (Labor), Edery (Kadima) and Tirosh (Kadima) in the joint House and Finance subcommittee; and MKs Herzog (Labor) and Orlev (J.H.) will replace MKs Cabel and Orbach (J.H.) in the joint Justice and Finance subcommittee.

Bills Summary

Three Amendments to the Municipal Taxes and Government Taxes Ordinance Bill

MK Haim Katz (Likud) explained his amendment would provide a municipal tax exemption for centers for people with disabilities that are funded by the Labor and Welfare Ministry. He stated that hostels and dorms that house the disabled will also benefit from the same tax break under the bill.

MK Gilon (Meretz) explained his similar amendment would also include disabled mental patients.

MK Barakeh (Hadash) explained that his similar amendment shared parts of the first two amendments.

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen (Shas) expressed government support for the bills as long as the three bills are merged into one in the committee.

The bills passed their preliminary readings 20-0, 24-0 and 28-0 and were sent to the Welfare Committee.

Two Amendments to the Economic Arrangements Law to Achieve Budget Goals and Economic Policy for Fiscal Year 2002

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen explained the first amendment would fund Dead Sea coast protection and the second amendment would create a fund for rehabilitation and development of the Dead Sea area. He noted that both bills were submitted by MK Matalon (Y.B.) and expressed government support for the bills.

Tourism Minister Misezhnikov (Y.B.) said he was proud to fund both amendments as part of his ministry. He went on to speak about the troubles the Dead Sea faces. He said he is proud to be fighting for the Dead Sea and called these two Matalon Bills the logical next step.

The two amendments passed their preliminary readings 43-0 and 45-0 and were sent to the Finance Committee.

Amendment to the Elections Bill

MK Orlev (J.H.) explained his amendment would allow those serving in national service to vote in designated voting stations near their place of service so they don’t have to travel 100 km to get back home.

Justice Minister Neeman praised the bill and expressed government support.

MK Gal-On (Meretz) opposed the bill and called it a sectoral bill that is meant to bring out more national religious votes. She said that if Orlev really cared about the entire population, he would have expanded the bill to cover university and college students.

Speaker Rivlin called for electronic biometric voting that would allow every citizen to vote wherever they wanted.

The bill passed its preliminary reading 47-6 with one MK abstaining and was sent to the Justice Committee.

Obligation to Inform about the Presence of Security Cameras and Restrictions on Providing Information Bill/Motion

MK Swaid (Hadash) explained that his original bill would require a person under surveillance to be notified by someone who is playing big brother. He said that he expected the government to support this bill because they supported citizens’ privacy in the latest amendment to the slander bill. He stated that not telling someone about the presence of a security camera is a violation of their freedom of expression because they would act differently if they knew there was a camera. He said that his bill will protect the privacy of customers and said he didn’t see any reason to have installed secret security cameras in businesses.

Homeland Security Minister Aharonovitch (Y.B.) expressed government opposition to the bill on the grounds that the bill applies to all public buildings and will make police work much harder if criminals know they are being videotaped.

MK Swaid said he was willing to turn the bill into a motion and discuss giving security forces an exemption after a committee discussion.

The motion passed 49-0 and was sent to the Interior Committee.

Amendment to the Foreign Workers Bill/Motion

MK Ben Ari (N.U.) explained his amendment would increase the minimum age of foreign workers to 35. He noted that foreign workers who work in construction or agriculture would be exempt from this change and said the bill is mostly aimed at the nursing industry. He explained that many young nurses choose to leave their job for another job or find love and leave their original job. He said it is unacceptable for the country to bring in young foreign workers who then choose to skip out on their jobs. He stated that older foreign workers come to Israel to support their families back home and are a lot more stable. He agreed to turn the bill into a motion to avoid defeat and try to convince the government to support it in committee.

The motion passed 28-2 and was sent to the Labor Committee.

Two Amendments to the National Health Insurance Bill

MK Gilon explained his amendment would increase funding of the basket of health services and medications by 2% annually. He warned that because the population is getting older the government needs to take his amendment very seriously. He noted that many government ministers support his bill.

MK Gal-On explained that her amendment was word for word the same as Gilon’s. Speaker Rivlin screamed at Meretz’s Faction Manager Ronit Yaacobi for allowing two of her MKs to submit the same exact bill and misusing Knesset protocol. MK Gal-On defended her Faction Manager and screamed at Speaker Rivlin. The two got into an argument on Knesset protocol until Likud Faction Manager Aliza Barashi pointed out to them both that Gal-On’s time was up.

Deputy Health Minister Litzman (U.T.J.) noted that he was the first person to raise the health basket funding in over a decade and he expressed pride in the NIS 300 million budget. He said that although he finds the health basket an integral part of his ministry, he can’t agree to an annual 2% increase at the expense of the other important items that would be hurt by this measure. He expressed government opposition to the bill.

MK Gilon said he wants the government’s medication of what they see from the inside can’t be seen from the outside. He said that if he had that prescription he would be a happy man.

The bills were defeated 24-42 and 22-41.

Fund for Dividing Revenue from Natural Resources toward Education, Health and Welfare Bill

MK Tirosh (Kadima) explained that her original bill would create a fund from the money the government receives from its natural gas reserves. She stated the fund would be spent on education, health and welfare investments. She went on to criticize the government for the extremism of the ultra-orthodox and settlers. She warned that this type of behavior against women and soldiers will turn Israel into the Taliban. She got into a shouting match with MK Regev (Likud) for several minutes and went on to argue with MK Zeev (Shas) and MK Ariel (N.U.).

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen explained the government asked MK Tirosh to delay the vote on her bill for a month in order to allow the government to present its bill. He said the two bills will be passed together and merged in committee.

Amendment to the Civil Defense Bill

MK Shai (Kadima) explained that his amendment would force the government to fund the distribution of gas mask kits to the entire population. He warned that only 55% of Israelis have gas masks and that the Iranian threat is real and should not be taken lightly. He said it would only cost NIS 1 billion to fund the project. He asked what would happen if 40% of the MKs didn’t have gas masks and were told to go find shelter.

Intelligence Minister Meridor (Likud) expressed government opposition to the bill citing budget restraints. He said that by 2018 all Israelis should have gas masks and that it is only a matter of time until it is implemented. He noted that the masks don’t exist and need to be produced before being handed out. He suggested turning the bill into a motion.

MK Shai agreed to turn the bill into a motion in order to convince the government in committee to move up the 2018 time table so that Israelis don’t die unnecessarily at the hands of Iran.

The motion passed 42-3 and was sent to the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee.

MK Regev spent five minutes defending her positions in response to MK Tirosh, who had attacked her in the discussion of the previous bill.

Amendment to the Planning and Building Bill

Interior Minister Yishai (Shas) expressed government opposition to MK Bielski’s amendment that would promote affordable housing for young people in various ways. He said that he personally agrees with the bill but the government is against it, so he must vote against the bill.

MK Bielski (Kadima) asked for a two to three week extension on the voting of the bill. Minister Yishai granted the request. Deputy Speaker Akunis (Likud) noted that there would only be a vote and no discussion when the bill comes up again.

Amendment to the Entry into Israel Bill

MK Michaeli (Shas) explained his amendment would allow students, tourists or others who live in Israel the right to stay in Israel for five years if they are eligible under the right of return laws. He said that if a person is eligible for immigration but wants to check Israel out for five years before making that decision, it should be allowed. He said it is strange that the country would deport eligible citizens because they spent too much time in Israel.  Work privileges would be granted and aliyah rights would not expire during the five years.

Interior Minister Yishai said that Jews should be given special treatment over other tourists and should not be treated like foreign workers. He noted that Jewish Agency Chairman Sharansky and Immigration and Absorption Minister Landver (Y.B.) both support this bill. He expressed his and the government’s support for this bill. He said that recently he approved an executive order that allows Jewish tourists who are not students to work in Israel for two to three years. He said that he believes this bill will encourage aliyah.

The bill passed its preliminary reading 34-0 and was sent to the Interior Committee.

Amendment to the Marriage and Divorce Ordinance Bill

MK Kirshenbaum (Y.B.) explained her amendment would allow couples to go through the marriage registration process in the area of their choice as opposed to the current situation of allowing it only where the couple live. She said that a couple should be allowed to choose a different city if the local rabbinate is discriminating against converts and immigrants. She noted that this would also help the Tzohar Rabbis of Shoham gain more popularity and allow more liberal-leaning rabbinical weddings. She said that because the government is opposed to this bill, she will give them two more weeks to decide to support it. She vowed that she will bring her bill for a vote in two weeks with or without the government’s support.

Amendment to the Ultra-Orthodox Jews’ Appropriate Representation in Public Service Sector Bill

MK Gafni (U.T.J.) noted that women, Ethiopians, Arabs, Druze and Russians all have higher employment rates than the ultra-orthodox and blamed the government’s policy for the discrimination. He explained his amendment would create an affirmative action for the ultra-orthodox so that they no longer act as a burden on the Israeli economy. He charged that they are not given jobs because of their lifestyle and not because of lack of qualifications. He called the government hypocrites for calling on the ultra-orthodox to work and then opposing a bill that will only call for affirmative action in the public sector. He agreed to postpone the vote on the bill in order to give the government time to come to their senses.

Amendment to the Penal Code Bill

MK Shai explained that his amendment would prohibit sexual relations between alternative therapists and their patients. He said that alternative medicine is complicated because its therapists are not graduates of actual universities and the law doesn’t regulate the industry at all. He noted that a 2004 amendment prohibited sexual relations between doctors and therapists with their patients. He stated that since then several cases of sexual harassment and other issues have hit the courts concerning alternative medicine. He reported that in such cases the courts have found that the 2004 amendment does not cover alternative therapists.  He explained his amendment would close the technical loophole.

Justice Minister Neeman said the matter is complicated because it is hard to define who is an alternative therapist. He added that the 2004 amendment of the prohibition of sexual relations between a therapist and a patient extends to three years after the last treatment. He expressed government support for the bill but warned the bill will be changed dramatically in committee.

The bill passed its preliminary reading 9-0 and was sent to the Justice Committee.

The Tuesday session lasted about two hours. One bill was discussed and became law after passing its third reading. The bill prohibits banks from collecting interest after the foreclosure of a customer’s home. Two motions were discussed, one of which was sent to committee for further discussion.

Non-Bill Summary

* 17 MKs spoke during the one minute speech segment that opened the afternoon. Many spoke about contracted workers and what they gained or could have gained from the previous night’s bill.

* A motion marking fifty years since the Eichmann trial was discussed by Speaker Rivlin, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Opposition Leader Livni and Minister Peled (Likud), a Holocaust survivor.

* A motion on the Jewish communities in Europe that are struggling with new laws prohibiting Jewish ritual slaughter was discussed by five MKs and Hasbara Minister Edelstein (Likud). The motion was sent for further discussion in the Diaspora Affairs Committee by an 8-0 vote.

* Agriculture Minister Noked (Independence) answered a query at the end of the session.

Bill Summary

Amendment to the Banking Bill

Finance Committee Chairman Shama (Likud) explained the amendment would prohibit banks from collecting loan or mortgage interest from a customer after the foreclosure of his house, unless the house cost more than NIS 2.5 million.

The bill passed its second reading 12-0.

The bill passed its third reading 10-0.

MK Cabel (Labor) thanked the Knesset for approving his bill. He said it was wrong for banks to collect interest from someone after they already took away his home.

The Monday session lasted about five hours. Six bills were discussed. Three bills became law after passing their third readings and three were advanced after passing their first readings. The new laws present contracted workers with more rights, enact various changes in the employment services council and prohibit the sale of books in a mandatory package deal. The three no-confidence motions were defeated.

Non-Bills Summary

* Kadima’s no-confidence motion titled ‘The Netanyahu government widens social gaps and continues to hurt the middle and lower classes’ was defeated 38-51 with 31 MKs not present.

* Labor and Meretz’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘OECD inequality data’ was defeated 37-53 with 30 MKs not present.

* Hadash, Ra’am-Ta’al and Balad’s joint no-confidence motion titled ‘Netanyahu’s failure in government treatment of economic and social problems in the Arab communities’ was defeated 31-56 with 33 MKs not present.

* House Committee Chairman Levin (Likud) announced that MK Tibi (R.T.) will replace MK El-Sana (R.T.) and MK Herzog (Labor) will replace MK Cabel (Labor) in a joint subcommittee of the Justice and Finance Committees.

Bills Summary

Increased Enforcement of Labor Laws Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz (Likud) stated that his committee has passed over 90 bills over the course of this term. He revealed that this is one of his favorites. He said that this bill will help contracted workers by both enforcing their existing labor rights and providing them with additional labor rights. He added that the bill severely increases sanctions against contractors who violate these rights. He spent about thirty minutes discussing the very complex bill and explaining its many clauses.

MK Khenin (Hadash) praised Chairman Katz and noted that Katz was wearing a white shirt for only the second time this term. He said that although he agrees that this is a good bill he objects to the bill because it doesn’t do enough for the contracted workers. He spent about thirty minutes pointing out holes in the bill and clauses that should have been added.

MK Shemtov (Y.B.) called the bill a holiday celebration for contracted workers. She stressed that the reason she went on a hunger strike for two days was to put pressure on the government to pass this bill as quickly as possible. She recalled working as a cleaning lady as a contracted worker and the tough conditions she worked under. She stated the bill does have both meat and teeth and will help the contracted workers.

MK Peretz (Labor) said this bill is the most important bill Chairman Katz has ever touched and it will forever be the one bill that is remembered as Katz’s legacy. He called the bill a social justice bill and praised Katz for a few more minutes. He called on the government to implement this bill and other socialist bills and to stop the selective enforcement policy of non-capitalistic bills.

Chairman Katz called on MK Khenin to remove his objections and asked the Knesset to approve the bill as is. Khenin agreed to remove all but one of his objections.

The bill’s 58 paragraphs passed their second reading 43-0, 46-0, 46-0 and 49-0.

The objection was defeated 7-33-1.

The bill passed its third reading 48-0.

Amendment to the Employment Services Bill

Labor, Welfare and Health Committee Chairman Katz explained the amendment would change the structure of the Employment Services Council by changing the number of council members and introducing term limits. He said the amendment will also change both the authority and the budget of the council.

The bill passed its second reading 26-0.

The bill passed its third reading 25-0.

Amendment to the Civil Wrongs Bill

Bureaucracy Minister Eitan (Likud) explained that through this amendment the liability of the State toward victims of terrorist acts would be restructured within one bill. He reported that the current situation allows victims to choose one of two to three bills in order to receive financial compensation. He revealed that some people have decided to seek compensation through more than one track which leads some people to play the system. He concluded by stating that the amendment repeals the current amendment which allows victims to seek compensation through the Civil Wrongs Bill.

MK Eichler (U.T.J.) said that it is the government’s responsibility to take care of terror victims and their families. He expressed regret that the Arabs will never accept the Jews and looked to the Bible to support his theory. He went on to blast the incitement in the news against the ultra-orthodox.

MK Ben Ari (N.U.) criticized the government for allowing foreigners to tell Israel what they can and can’t do with their capital, Jerusalem.

The bill passed its first reading 15-6 and was sent to the Justice Committee.

Amendment to the Income Tax Ordinance Bill

Deputy Finance Minister Cohen (Shas) called on Israel to throw away the Ottoman Income Tax Ordinance Bill and replace it with an Israeli one. He explained the amendment would increase the tax-free contributions citizens and foreigners can donate to public institutions.

MK Eichler blasted the press for ultra-orthodox incitement and the government institutions for discriminating against the ultra-orthodox.

MK Ariel (N.U.) supported the bill. He went on to slam Netanyahu for allowing everyone but Jews to enter the Temple Mount. He charged that Netanyahu doesn’t seek to protect Jerusalem’s sovereignty.

MK Ben Ari blasted the discrimination against the ultra-orthodox in the workplace.

The bill passed its first reading 15-0 and was sent to the Funds Committee.

Amendment to the Military Justice Bill

Homeland Security Minister Aharonovitch (Y.B.) explained the amendment would prohibit the police from releasing criminal records to most government institutions in order to prevent discrimination during the hiring process.

MK Levin (Likud) expressed reservations about the bill. He said the fight should be to close criminal records when the person is found innocent, not give a free pass to everyone.

The bill passed its first reading 15-0 and was sent to the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee.

Amendment to the State Education Bill

MK Michaeli (Y.B.) explained this was her first bill to be brought for approval and it is her baby. She stated her amendment will prohibit bookstores from selling books in package deals and enable customers to buy a book separately from the package.

The bill passed its second reading 13-0.

The bill passed its third reading 14-0.