Knesset approved in a preliminary reading on Wednesday, November 28, an amendment to a law that would make it easier to disqualify Arab candidates from running in municipal elections, while also creating a mechanism for impeachment after being elected.
A citizen votes in the municipal elections in Jerusalem, February 27, 2024 (Photo: Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
Passing its preliminary reading 51-11, the first bill, sponsored by Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, seeks to bring the Local Authorities Bill in line with an existing law barring individuals who “support terror and racism” from running for the Knesset. Members of local councils would be empowered to expel colleagues who express such views following an 80% majority vote ratified by the High Court.
The bills’ advancement came less than a month after lawmakers voted 61-35 in favor of another measure changing the criteria for banning candidates from running for the Knesset, which could make it easier to push out Hadash and Arab-led parties and MKs. That bill, an amendment to Basic Law: The Knesset, would expand the current rule whereby candidates can only be banned from running if there is a significant body of evidence that they have supported terror, to include isolated support of acts carried out by a lone attacker and not just those by a group or enemy state. Among the acts that would be construed as support for terror would be visiting the family of an attack suspect.
Speaking in opposition to the bill, MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) accused the far-right government of singling out Left and Arab lawmakers and passing a law for “canceling the opposition.” Odeh said the far-right coalition wouldn’t pass a law barring those convicted of terror from the Knesset, because that would result in the disqualification of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been convicted eight times on incitement and terrorism charges. Earlier this month, the Knesset Ethics Committee voted unanimously to suspend Hadash MK Ofer Cassif from the Knesset for six months, over comments he made accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
In addition, the far-right coalition on Wednesday passed a preliminary vote over a controversial bill to privatize the Kan Public Broadcasting Corporation. The proposal is to end Kan’s public funding and to transfer responsibility for operating its television and radio broadcasts to private owners within two years of the law being passed. The proposal, which faces legal challenges, aims to shut down the public broadcaster within two years and raise concerns over media freedom and employee rights
The bill was proposed by Likyd MK Taly Gotliv with the backing of Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, (Likud). However, the Attorney-General’s Office expressed on Sunday “serious concerns” that the bill’s real purpose was to shut down a media outlet that is critical of the government and create a “chilling effect” on other media outlets. According to the A-G, the bill “joins a series of proposals being advanced at this time that threaten the public corporation’s independence and ability to fulfill its public roles.”
Karhi said on Wednesday he had collected the signatures of 13 ministers on a document calling for the ouster of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. In an interview with the Haredi Kikar Hashabbat website, Karhi presented the document and said he is “actively working on it” and got the process moving himself. The minister said that as soon as he obtains 17 signatures, which would be more than half of the ministers, the government will be obligated to discuss the dismissal procedure, which he says will begin with contacting the search committee. “I think the attorney general is a political adviser who is not worthy of her position and is constantly trying to hem in the government’s moves,” Karhi said
Wednesday’s vote in the Knesset also comes on the heels of a cabinet resolution calling on all government ministries and agencies to boycott the Haaretz daily newspaper. On last April, the Knesset approved the so-called Al Jazeera law, giving the government temporary powers to prevent foreign news networks from operating in Israel if they are “deemed by the security services to be harming national security.” The law passed 71 to 10 in its second and third readings in the Knesset plenum.
Hadash-Ta’al MKs opposed the bill during the debate in the Knesset plenum, arguing that the reason Israel wanted to block Al Jazeera’s Israeli broadcasts was to hide the extent of destruction and civilian casualties in the deadly Gaza war. “Citizens of Israel, they are trying to put you under a cognitive siege… to block information about things being done in your name,” said Hadash MK Aida Touma-Sliman.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31721
