An interesting piece of legislation is about to be presented to the Knesset for its second and third reading (which would make it law), having passed today in the
Knesset House Committee.
The "
Referendum Law" states that should the Israeli government approve a withdrawal from territory under full Israeli sovereignty (i.e., the Golan Heights, Eastern Jerusalem, parts of pre-1967 Israel alongside the Gaza strip, but not Yehuda vShomron/West Bank) – then the decision will be put to a vote in the Knesset. Once passed in the Knesset, a national referendum will be held within 180 days. Only a vote of 80 (or 90) Knesset members or more can prevent a referendum from being required to implement the withdrawal.
This law's origin is based on the problem that Israeli politicians routinely run on one platform, and then do an about-face after elections, and reject their previous platform. Examples include Yitzchak Rabin and the Oslo Accords, in which the entire issue was hidden from the public's eye till it was announced. The Oslo 2 Accords only passed in the Knesset by a 1 person majority (61-59) after Rabin bribed 2 MKs to abandon their party's platform in exchange for a Ministerial position and a Mitsubishi car and driver.
Ariel Sharon, the previous "champion of Israel's security and supporter of Jewish settlement" did a radical about face in the middle of his term, leading Israel's disengagement from Gaza, despite having won the election against the publicly stated disengagement platform of the head of the Labor party, Amnon Mitzna. This also despite Sharon's promise to abide by the public referrendum of the Likud party's membership on the issue of Disengagement, in which the Disengagement idea was rejected by an overwhelming 69% to 29%.
What I found amazing was an interview with MK Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor) who announced on IDF radio this morning that this law was a threat to democracy and would diminish the sovereignty of the Knesset.
The "sovereignty of the Knesset"? By putting a vote into the hands of the people, that impedes the representatives of the people? That impacts our democracy?
This need for this law is further reinforced by yesterday's
acquittal of MK Tzachi Hanegbi. Hanegbi was cleared on the charges of fraud, breach of trust, and electoral bribery in the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court. He was charged on just one count in the indicted filed against him in 2006: perjury.
Quoted on IDF radio, Hanegbi stated that the conviction of perjury was only a minor issue, tacked on to the end of the indictment. If the court doesn't rule that Hangbi's perjury carries the stain of "Kalon" (
moral turpitude) , this will herald his return as a major player in Israeli politics and a leader within the Kadima party.
Since when is perjury such a petty crime, that when committed by a politician that it be ignored and minimized as a "minor issue." I assume that since politicians in Israel lie all the time, why should any politician even be expected not to lie under oath?
Tzippi Livni considers herself Mrs. Clean, and Kadima to be the "clean hands party" -- yet to allow Hanegbi to continue in the party after a conviction of perjury (with, or without the official court declaration of "kalon") demonstrates the worst of Israeli politics and utter disregard of the law.
If we want to protect Israel's democracy, we need to protect ourselves from politicians in Kadima and the Labor party that moan about Israelis wanting to decide for themselves about Israel's future and not leave it in the hands of immoral criminals housed in the Knesset.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
