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17 Shevat 5759 - Feb. 3, 1999 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Busy Day at the Knesset

Knesset Recesses Before Approving the Budget and Arrangements Laws

by E. Rauchberger and M. Plaut

"The Knesset is adjourned and recessed," announced Dan Tichon, dramatically, as he closed the 14th Knesset without its having approved a current budget.

Both the budget and the accompanying law known as the "arrangements law" for lack of a better title, may be approved on Tuesday or later in the week, as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu conducted intensive meetings with coalition members late Monday night in an attempt to enable the laws to be put to a vote as soon as possible.

Despite the recess, the Knesset will vote Tuesday on election laws held over from the previous session, and the Prime Minister wants to have the budget approved as well. It is expected that there will be further sessions of the Knesset on an as-needed basis.

The budget was approved by the Knesset Finance Committee after new coalition demands were raised. The demands were raised after the committee had already approved the economic arrangements bill, and were thus presented as reservations to the budget.

United Torah Judaism's Rabbi Avrohom Lazerson wanted 500 rental apartments for yeshiva students and the cancellation of tax benefits for those who violate the labor laws by working on Shabbos. Today, even one who works on Shabbos without a proper permit and thus violates the law may benefit from financial incentives in paying tax on those ill-gotten gains. Land of Israel Front leader Michael Kleiner and Benny Elon (Moledet) demanded the legalization of Arutz 7, the settlers' hitherto pirate radio station that operates from outside of Israel's territorial waters.

The opposition argued that the subjects were new and could not be attached to the budget legislation but should be brought for a first reading. The House Committee then held a vote, and -- by a majority of one -- approved the reservations. The result was a breakdown in the process: the opposition suspended its agreements with the coalition on the voting on the budget and economic arrangements bill.

While the Finance Committee passed the 47-clause arrangements bill by mid-afternoon, it needed to pass the budget bill before forwarding both bills to the plenum.

Some MKs say that the only solution is to continue operating according to last year's budget until the May elections.

Speaker Dan Tichon had prepared a formal speech to cap off his 19 years in the Knesset, the last three as Speaker. He was planning to deliver it between the second and third readings of the budget law, when the Knesset would have been full, but he was frustrated by the way things worked out.

Also the Knesset plenum approved on its first reading a very dangerous law proposed by Yael Dayan of Labor which, if passed, will grant equality to women in all areas. According to this proposed law, civil marriages and halachically forbidden marriages will be permitted, and many other issues which undermine religion will also be sanctioned.

The proposal was accepted by a vote of 34 to 22 opposed. The law was supported by opposition Knesset members from Meretz, Labor and the Arab factions, as well as by the MKs of Gesher. Two Knesset members from them new centrist party (Merom and Magen) also supported the proposed law. The members of the coalition opposed it.

According to the proposed law, there will be total equality for all women in all areas. This means that even those who are disqualified for regular Jewish marriages will be permitted to marry, that civil marriage will be permitted, and that women must be accepted for all forms of employment, including rabbinical positions and dayanus. All of the restrictions on abortions would be lifted, and other issues currently protected by the law will be undermined.

The Attorney General warned that the legalization of Arutz 7, the radio station, in this way will not likely withstand a court challenge. As a result, the Prime Minister withdrew his support and promised to prepare a separate law to be submitted before the elections. The NRP accepted this proposal, but Kleiner and Elon did not.


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