Israeli Gov’t Edges Toward Collapse as Bennett Resists Bill Barring Criminals From PM’s Seat: Report

Israel’s coalition government, which marked its first anniversary in office on June 13th, has faced a tough week after a Yamina Party lawmaker quit, further weakening the coalition in the Knesset. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that the coalition had “a week or two” to settle internal disagreements or face disintegration.

Israel’s flagging coalition government is facing a new danger amid resistance by the prime minister to a bill put forward by a senior member of his coalition which would bar Knesset lawmakers charged with serious felonies from serving as prime minister.

The bill, proposed by Justice minister Gideon Sa’ar of the New Hope party, proposes amending Israel’s Basic Laws to prevent any politician indicted for a crime with a minimum sentence of three years from holding the highest office in the land.

Sources told Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday that Naftali Bennett is opposed to the legislation – which implicitly targets former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fearing it could push Yamina MK Nir Orbach, who quit the coalition last week, into the ex-PM’s arms.

Netanyahu, 72, was indicted for breach of trust, bribery and fraud in 2019, with his trial kicking off in 2020 and continuing amid reports of negotiations between his lawyers and Israel’s attorney general on a plea deal. If convicted in all three separate cases against him, Netanyahu could face up to ten years behind bars.

Bennett’s coalition, which includes his party, Yamina, New Hope, Blue and White, and others, currently has two seats fewer than the opposition does in the Knesset, leaving it open to a dissolution of parliament measure by Netanyahu’s Likud Party and others.

After quitting the coalition last week, Orbach promised not to vote to bring down the government (which would spark a snap election) in the coming days, and to work instead to try to cobble together an alternative government with a “patriotic spirit” within the existing Knesset.

However, according to Channel 12’s information, the lawmaker could break his commitment if the bill to amend the Basic Laws is tabled. The channel’s report further indicated that the legislation could give Likud and Netanyahu ammunition for the former prime minister’s long-standing claims that he is being “persecuted” by his enemies in the justice system and the media.

Israeli Minister of Interior Ayelet Shaked, also of the Yamina party, has also expressed opposition to the proposed legislation.

MK Sa’ar’s proposed bill comes amid reports that Likud is plotting its own Knesset dispersal bill to force elections, with a possible vote on the matter planned as soon as Wednesday.

The Bennett government was cobbled together last year, and was seen as a breakthrough following years of increasingly chaotic governance by Netanyahu and Likud. Israel held four elections during the two-year period between 2019 and 2021 amid the political deadlock between Likud and its opponents, leaving the country without a stable government.