Liberman vows not to sit with Netanyahu, Haredi parties
Likud said to oppose renewing settlement bill ahead of elections
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is reportedly refusing to vote in favor of a bill to renew a longstanding measure extending Israeli law to citizens living in the West Bank as the Knesset is set to disperse.
The measure must be renewed every five years, and failure to pass it could have far-reaching consequences for settlers. However, if the Knesset dissolves before July 1, the bill will be automatically renewed for six months, amid Israel’s election season.
The current government is heading to elections, among other reasons, due to failing to muster enough votes to pass the bill. Likud, and other right-wing opposition parties, have refused to support any government legislation, even if they ideologically support it.
According to Channel 13 news, Likud wants the bill to be extended only for six months, to ensure that incoming prime minister Yair Lapid will not manage to form a new government after the expected fall elections, since he would have to again find a majority to renew the bill. If the bill is renewed for five years, it would not be a priority when forming a government.
