Likud MKs fumed at their Kadima counterparts for voting against the coalition’s
position on two bills on Wednesday.
MK Isaac Herzog (Labor) brought his
bill that would make discrimination against women a crime punishable by jail
time or a NIS 300,000 fine to a preliminary reading, which was voted down by 26
MKs.
Of the 15 MKs who did support Herzog’s proposal, three – Nino
Abesadze, Yoel Hasson and Robert Tibayev – were from Kadima. Later on Wednesday,
Abesadze also voted against the coalition in favor of a bill allowing civil
marriage sponsored by MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz).
Coalition chairman
Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) slammed the Kadima MKs, saying they are suffering from
“multiple personalities,” and have yet to absorb the fact that they are no
longer in the opposition.
“They need psychological help, as soon as
possible,” Elkin quipped.
If the coalition falls and there are early
elections, none of them will return to the Knesset, he added, and the vote shows
that Kadima is lacking in leadership and facing an internal crisis.
Elkin
said the coalition will find ways to punish the rebel MKs within the coalition’s
rules, and whoever ignores coalition discipline will quickly find him or herself
outside the coalition.
“Kadima has no values and no ideology, and
apparently no loyalty,” MK Danny Danon (Likud) said. “Kadima MKs need to know
their place in the coalition, and if they do not like it, they can leave
immediately.”
All three rebel MKs said they voted according to their
conscience, but also according to Kadima’s agenda, on an issue the party made a
priority in the Knesset’s winter session.
“The coalition has to
understand that this is Kadima’s position, and we were the leaders on this
topic,” Hasson said. “There should not have been coalition
discipline.”
According to Hasson, he was put in an “impossible”
situation, but he thinks Herzog’s bill was worthy of passing and will continue
to vote in favor of similar legislation.
“I’m part of the coalition, but
I never agreed to vote against what I and my voters believe,” Abesadze
explained.
Abesadze said she represents the “democratic, liberal branch”
in Kadima, and anyone who shares those values should have voted in favor of
civil marriages and criminalizing discrimination against women.
Tibayev
said he “cannot change my opinions all at once, just because we suddenly joined
the opposition. This was a good bill that fit Kadima’s agenda.”
Many
Kadima MKs who were outspoken against discrimination against women were absent
from the vote, Tibayev pointed out.
“I hoped our people would vote in
favor of the bill,” he added. “I did what I thought was right.”