Vote on Maale Adumim annexation likely to be postponed

Bennett, Shaked reportedly agree to delaying vote on controversial legislation until after PM discusses issues with Trump.

By JEREMY SHARON
A girl holds an Israeli flag on a hilltop near the Maaleh Adumim settlement (photo credit: REUTERS)
A girl holds an Israeli flag on a hilltop near the Maaleh Adumim settlement
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Likud MK and co-chair of the Knesset Land of Israel Caucus Yoav Kisch says he will agree to postpone a vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation today on his bill to annex Ma'aleh Adumim if the security cabinet recommends doing so.
The Security Cabinet is meeting Sunday afternoon at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request, to discuss the potentially explosive legislation to impose full Israeli sovereignty over the large Ma'aleh Adumim settlement.
Kisch spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday before the meeting, following which the MK said that it appears the Security Cabinet will recommend to postpone the debate on the bill in the Ministerial Committee.
Netanyahu is anxious to speak with new US President Donald Trump before taking serious unilateral actions such as annexing parts of the West Bank.
Kisch said it would be preferable to first pass the bill in the Ministerial Committee, allowing it to thereby pass to the Knesset, and then delaying a vote in the Knesset plenum until after the prime minister speaks with Trump.
The MK said however that he would accept a decision to postpone the vote in the Ministerial Committee even so.
Political sources told The Jerusalem Post that Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett, who is extremely eager to pass the law, along with Bayit Yehudi Justice Minister and chairwoman of the committee Ayelet Shaked will also agree to postpone a vote on the bill.
“I did not agree to remove the bill from the agenda of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, even though I understand the sensitivities regarding the new [US] administration,” said Kisch.
“I will continue to lead together with my partners in the Land of Israel Caucus the process of imposing sovereignty over the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.”
Kisch has begun promoting a new plan for dealing with the West Bank, in which Israel would impose sovereignty over the settlements, while allowing the Palestinians to be self-governing over 39 percent of the territory without obtaining full sovereignty.


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