Haviv Rettig Gur
Times of Israel, Feb. 7, 2023

“the failed filibuster wasn’t the exception that Gantz seemed to suggest. It’s the norm.”
 
“Mistakes happen. We’re all people,” National Unity party chief Benny Gantz tweeted on January 23.

It was an apology of sorts. Gantz’s party had just failed to show up to its own filibuster, allowing the Netanyahu-led coalition to amend the Basic Law: The Knesset undisturbed by the opposition.

The amendment that passed that night expanded the “Norwegian Law,” which allows cabinet ministers to resign their Knesset seats in favor of the next person on their party’s list without losing control of the seat. If the minister later resigns from the government, they are automatically reinstated in the Knesset and their replacement is bumped out.

The original law allowed up to five extra MKs per party; the new version expanded that to 10 as long as the replacements numbered fewer than one-third of the total faction. That is, the amendment was tailor-made to allow the 30-seat Likud, the ruling party, to add 10 full-time MKs to replace those appointed to the cabinet.

Likud wanted the law to pass; the opposition declared its opposition and announced a filibuster. It hoped to slow the legislation down, prevent other votes from coming up, and force the coalition to spend a late night voting down a long list of legislative “reservations.” The filibuster also offered a handy opportunity for public relations, a chance to produce a quotable record, sound bites and video clips around the parliamentary drama. … [To read the full article, click here]