Two bills – one to repeal the 2005 Disengagement and the other to legalize West Bank outposts – can come before the Knesset for a preliminary vote as early as Wednesday.
Both bills have enough support to pass a preliminary reading, but the victory is likely to be an emotional victory for the Israeli Right and the settlement moment, because an initial plenum vote might not lead to their final approval.
The Right is in a race against time to advance its agenda before the Knesset falls or a new government is formed that contains the Yesh Atid Party headed by Yair Lapid.
Their drive received a boost Tuesday night when the Knesset Arrangements Committee agreed Tuesday evening in a 19-13 votes to fast track both the private members bill, by waiving its 45-waiting period.
Among those who supported the legislation were members of the Yamina Party. Once a preliminary vote is held, the legislation must pass three readings and be sent to committees for approval.
It's presumed that the only narrow window of time by which the bill could pass into law is the period prior to a government's formation, so Tuesday's votes and the one expected on Wednesday, so its nuclear if there will be enough time for all three readings to be held.
Some of the politicians in the committee were hesitant to advance a bill to repeal the 2005 Disengagement under which Israel withdrew from Gaza. But MK Ze'ev Elkin (New Hope) assured them that at issue was not the Gaza withdrawal, but the ability to rebuild the four northern Samaria settlements that were destroyed during Disengagement.
The outpost bill would allow for 70 West Bank outposts to be authorized within two years and grant de-facto authorization to those outposts in the interim. It's a move that would expand Israel's foothold in the West Bank.
Religious Zionist Party head MK Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the passage of the outpost bill, explaining that the legalization of the outposts, which he called the "young settlements" was foremost on his party's agenda.