Blue and White going to court to force Knesset to meet

Netanyahu: "The last thing I want to do is harm our democracy"

By GIL HOFFMAN
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) sit in an empty hall in front of President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein at the swearing in of the 23rd Knesset, March 16, 2020 (photo credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) sit in an empty hall in front of President Reuven Rivlin and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein at the swearing in of the 23rd Knesset, March 16, 2020
(photo credit: HAIM ZACH/GPO)
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein halted proceedings of the Knesset plenum after only three minutes on Wednesday, just two days after the members of the 23rd Knesset were sworn in, due to continued fighting over the makeup of Knesset committees.
Edelstein (Likud) complained that Blue and White was unwilling to accept his compromise proposals that he said could have allowed the Knesset to start working immediately. He said more time was needed for negotiations, so the plenum would not meet again until next Monday.
Blue and White expressed outrage, accusing Edelstein of "trampling Israeli democracy at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's behest." The party said it would appeal to the Supreme Court against Edelstein on Thursday to force him to convene the plenum and "end the craziness."
But the earliest the plenum can be convened again is Monday, which would leave plenty of time for negotiations with Likud on a unity government.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz told his faction in rounds of 10 at a time to follow Health Ministry guidelines that Edelstein was “not allowing us to do our job.”  
Netanyahu responded in a Channel 12 interview that the Knesset was not meeting was because there was no agreement reached yet between the coalition and opposition. He supported Edelstein and blamed Blue and White for "engaging in political hackery" instead of supporting his efforts to fight the coronavirus.  
"The last thing I want to do is harm our democracy," Netanyahu said.
Earlier, Blue and White faction chairman Avi Nissenkorn notified Edelstein that 61 Members of Knesset demanded that the plenum vote Wednesday on the establishment of an Arrangements Committee and a Knesset speaker. Nissenkorn made a written request to Edelstein, signed by 61 Members of Knesset. All of the 61 except for two who are in quarantine came to the Knesset ready to vote.
Blue and White wanted a vote in the plenum, because its center-left bloc enjoys a 61-58 majority over the center-right bloc of the Likud. If Blue and White gains control over the Knesset's key committees, the party could initiate a vote to replace Edelstein and pass legislation that could oust Netanyahu.
President Reuven Rivlin called Edelstein and urged him not to let the coronavirus prevent the Knesset from meeting.
"A paralyzed Knesset harms the ability of the State of Israel to function responsibly at a time of emergency," Rivlin told Edelstein. "Care must be taken to prevent a fatal blow to the infrastructure of our democracy."
Edelstein met with representatives of Likud and Blue and White on Wednesday morning, in an effort to reach a compromise on forming the most urgent committees for the new Knesset. He said he offered ideas to Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) and Nissenkorn about forming some of the committees, but they were not accepted.
"I hope and pray that good sense will win and we will begin our parliamentary oversight work as necessary," Edelstein said.
But Blue and White and Labor-Meretz MKs said Edelstein was part of the problem and that he was purposely preventing the plenum from convening, because he does not want there to be a vote on replacing him.
"What is happening in the Knesset now is a new peak in shame," Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz said. "Bibi has no majority, so the Knesset is paralyzed. There are no committees. There is no budget. There is no organization for the fight against the coronavirus or supervision of the defense establishment. If the Knesset does not return, we will have to go to the Supreme Court."
Blue and White MK Boaz Toporovsky pointed out that the courts have also been shut down due to the virus.
"In Israel at this moment, there is only one functioning branch of government," he said. "This is a real danger to Israeli democracy."