Government formation bills on track for Thursday deadline

Lapid on bloated government: ‘You don’t need 52 people under a stretcher’

By GIL HOFFMAN
NETANYAHU AND Gantz – can they put their animosity aside and serve the public? (photo credit: CORINNA KERN AMIR COHEN REUTERS)
NETANYAHU AND Gantz – can they put their animosity aside and serve the public?
(photo credit: CORINNA KERN AMIR COHEN REUTERS)
The Knesset committee legislating the formation of a new government succeeded in voting down more than 9,000 amendments from the opposition in less than two days, putting the bills on track to pass by Thursday night's deadline.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who is the Knesset speaker, threatened to take advantage of a rarely used loophole to expedite passing the bills. The filibuster-busting clause, known as Clause 98, would have allowed him to stop the voting at any point. But the opposition agreed to limit itself to only 1,000 proposed amendments in votes in the Knesset plenum.
Deliberations on the bills in the plenum will restart on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. and will continue all night. Voting on final readings of the bills will begin on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in order to end by Thursday night's deadline, when the Knesset's mandate to form a government ends.
The bills are intended to guarantee Blue and White's support for Netanyahu being given up to two weeks by President Reuven Rivlin to finalize the formation of the government.
"There is no justification for using Clause 98 now just because they don't trust Netanyahu and don't want to sign for him before they pass the laws," a Yesh Atid spokesman said.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said his faction would support the government's efforts to fight the coronavirus and fight government corruption.
"This government is the reason no one believes politicians anymore," Lapid said at a Knesset press conference. "They are shamelessly taking advantage of a national crisis to create jobs for themselves. No one needs a government of 36 ministers and 16 deputy ministers, with 52 ministerial offices, drivers, offices, budgets and jobs for everyone. It would have a huge budget and be an incredible waste. It would mean hundreds of millions wasted at a time when the economy is on the verge of collapse."
Lapid complained that the government lacks a plan for fighting the virus and is not taking responsibility. He mocked Gantz's defense of Blue and White joining the government.
"I might not have been chief of staff, but even I know you don’t need 52 people under a stretcher," he said.
One change already made is that the Knesset committee legislating the formation of a new government passed an amendment on Monday that changes the special majority for repealing the rotation between Netanyahu and Gantz from 75 MKs to 70.
Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked said the number of MKs was decreased because the government cannot rely on the support of Yamina. The bills will be passed before negotiations with Yamina get into high gear.
A Likud spokesman said that Netanyahu still wants the party in his government.
A Blue and White official said lowering the special majority was an attempt to decrease criticism from the Supreme Court.