Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel, chairman of the Knesset National Security Committee, cancelled all of the sessions scheduled for this week as part of the party’s political boycott on the cabinet and Knesset voting due to what it argues is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to implement “fully right wing” national security policy, the committee announced on Monday.
The committee chaired by Fogel, which deals with issues connected to internal security, was scheduled to hold three sessions this week, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and all were cancelled.
Otzma Yehudit’s boycott
The announcement came after Otzma Yehudit’s ministers boycotted Sunday morning’s weekly cabinet meeting, and party chair and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced last week that his party was not going to attend Knesset votes until it is given “significant influence” over the government’s national security policy.
KAN’s Michael Shemesh reported on Sunday evening on a list of demands that Ben-Gvir made as a condition to end the boycott. These include a military operation in Judea and Samaria; approving parts of the government’s controversial judicial reforms; Ben-Gvir’s participation in security discussions; and worsening the conditions of incarcerated terrorists.
The heightened tension between Ben-Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began on Tuesday, when the former was not invited to participate in a security situation assessment after over 20 rockets were fired from Gaza earlier in the day. The national security minister at first decided to respond only by boycotting Wednesday’s Knesset plenum.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leads a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on May 7, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)However, the Likud put out a statement on Wednesday telling Ben-Gvir that if he was unhappy with the government’s decisions, he was welcome to resign. The national security minister responded by prolonging the boycott on the Knesset plenum until he is not only invited to important security decision-making forums, but also given an active role in setting policy.
The absence of Otzma Yehudit’s six MKs from the Knesset plenum means that the coalition will have a narrow 58-56 majority until the issue is resolved.
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