In a complex political maneuver within Israel's coalition government, Knesset Member Tzvi Sukkot announced today he will step down from parliament within 48 hours, triggering a series of strategic position changes among right-wing coalition partners.
The move comes as part of a larger political chess game between the Religious Zionism party and its ally, Otzma Yehudit. The reshuffle was prompted when Amichai Eliyahu resigned from his ministerial position, creating an imbalance in parliamentary representation between the two parties.
Currently, Oztma Yehudit holds six votes in the Knesset compared to their original five, with one seat coming at the expense of Religious Zionism's allocation. To restore the balance and maintain crucial voting power for upcoming budget and military conscription bills, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich plans to temporarily resign from his ministerial role. This will allow him to return to parliament and remove MK Kroizer, rebalancing the parties' representation.
The complicated arrangement stems from Israel's "Norwegian Law," which allows cabinet ministers to resign their parliamentary seats to make room for additional party members, while retaining the right to return to parliament if they leave their ministerial positions.
Future moves are expected to include potential resignations from either Orit Strook or Ohad Sofer of Religious Zionism, and either Itamar Ben Gvir or Yitzhak Wasserlauf from Otzma Yehudit, to reinstate their Norwegian Law parliamentary representatives.
Sukkot expressed his support for these moves in a lengthy social media post, backing Smotrich's decision to maintain his party's presence in the governing coalition despite recent political tensions.
This chain reaction was triggered by Otzma Yehudit's withdrawal from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, alongside fellow party ministers Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Amichai Eliyahu, submitted their resignations from their cabinet positions at the Ministry of National Security in Jerusalem yesterday. The move marks a complete withdrawal from the coalition, with party members also resigning from their Knesset committee assignments.
The exodus was sparked by the approval of what the party calls "the reckless agreement" with Hamas for hostage releases. Otzma Yehudit strongly opposes the deal's terms, particularly the release of Palestinian prisoners and what they view as a surrender of military achievements in Gaza.
0 Comments