MKs engaged in a shouting match that nearly became physical during a Knesset debate Tuesday over the bill to bar Red Cross visits to security prisoners. The bill, drafted by Galit Distel Atbaryan and Keti Shitrit, was removed from the agenda after 41 MKs voted against it and 36 in favor, according to the Jerusalem Post.
The Knesset plenum saw a second day of intense friction over the Red Cross bill Tuesday, with an MK shouting match that reportedly nearly turned physical. The bill — drafted by coalition MKs Galit Distel Atbaryan, Keti Shitrit, and additional lawmakers — was formally removed from the agenda after 41 MKs voted against and 36 in favor.
As The Zioneer reported, the same bill failed Monday evening after Haredi factions boycotted the vote, with Shas conditioning its support on the passage of a Torah Study Basic Law. Monday's session also saw Coalition Chair MK Ofir Katz and Hadash-Ta'al MK Ayman Odeh physically separated by ushers in a separate scuffle. Tuesday's confrontation comes amid deepening coalition infighting over the issue; National Security Minister Ben Gvir accused Shas of harming Israel's security by blocking the bill.
The identities of the MKs involved in Tuesday's near-altercation have not yet been reported, nor whether the conflict crossed coalition-opposition lines or was intra-coalition. The bill's fate appears sealed without a new initiative to revive it.
2 developments
- DevelopingShas to oppose bill barring Red Cross visits to security prisoners, Ben Gvir charges
- DevelopingCoalition chair warns Red Cross bill will collapse without opposition support
- DevelopingUshers separate coalition chair and MK Odeh after second scuffle in plenum
- DevelopingRed Cross reportedly to be allowed to visit Nukhba terrorists in prison
Source and signal
- Internal intake