Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud faction launched efforts to advance legislation hours before his mandate to form a government expires on midnight Tuesday.
With the loss of the Mandate, Netanyahu will also lose control over the Arrangements Committee and his political opponents will then be able to promote laws that would block him from future bids to be the prime minister.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Knesset session convened to discuss last week's Mount Meron disaster
(Photo: Knesset channel)
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) who remains at the head of the Knesset committee until midnight, said he would be tabling a change to the elections law so that a vote could be held for prime minister only should new elections be called. If such a law passes, Netanyahu's chances of re-election will be high.
Zohar also said he would be advancing the death penalty for terrorists, a law which former Likud ally and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman tabled four years ago but had not made it out of committee because of Likud's opposition.
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MK (Likud) Miki Zohar speaking during a meeting of the Arrangements' committee last week
(Photo: Knesset channel)
Additional bills were on the status of illegal outposts and other matters that Yamina leader Naftali Bennett had promised to pass during his election campaign including laws to limit the authority of the Supreme Court.
The efforts by Likud to advance the bills are seen as an attempt to cause rifts among the parties attempting to present an alternative coalition to Netanyahu's right-wing and religious block.
The so-called coalition for change was made up of Knesset factions that disagree on ideology but are united on the need to oust Netanyahu.
Likud chose to advance the legislation through the Arrangements' committee and not by tabling them in the plenum in order to expedite the legislative procedure.
Netanyahu was concentrating his efforts to prevent Bennett from joining his opponent's coalition should one be possible. The Yamina leader has consistently negotiated with Likud and the opposing camp and refused to commit himself to either side, despite publicly stating he prefers to see a right-wing government established.
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Yamina leader Naftali Bennett says Netanyahu insincere in overtures made to form coalition, on Monday
(Photo: Yoav Dudkiewicz)
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, from the Yesh Atid Party said he hoped that he will be tapped by President Reuven Rivlin to attempt to form a coalition if Netanyahu fails to do so by the midnight deadline.
Bennett is also vying for the mandate claiming more members of Knesset including the Likud and the ultra-Orthodox parties would support his efforts, but political observers say Rivlin is unlikely to grant the Yamina leader's wish because his party controls only seven seats in the parliament.