Knesset’s Summer Session Opens

Posted on: April 30th, 2012

Unless new elections are called, this year's Summer Session will last less than three months, ending on July 25, 2012.

Government Job Cuts to Pay for Gas Tax Reduction

Posted on: April 19th, 2012

PM Netanyahu explained that lowering taxes means shrinking the government, and, this time, cutting taxes means cutting public sector jobs. He emphasized that no one needs to be fired if enough workers embrace early retirement or quit, but conceded that this means the ministries will not be hiring for a long time.

Knesset Member Vaknin Announces He Won’t Seek Re-Election

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

Vaknin has been a Knesset member representing the ultra-orthodox Shas party since the beginning of Prime Minister Netanyahu's first term in 1996. Considered a maverick, he distinguished himself in his party by holding that the thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who don't learn in Yeshiva but are registered as such should be forced to serve in the military.

MK Eldad: Hatikva Will Start Membership Drive After Independence Day

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

MK Aryeh Eldad held a meeting with dozens of activists and supporters of the Hatikva Party at its Tel Aviv headquarters on Monday night. MK Eldad represents Hatikva in the National Union Faction.

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National Union Recess Tour

Posted on: April 18th, 2012

The National Union went on the road this week, despite the Knesset's recess. Faction members visited Naot Kedumim and pledged to increase awareness of the Biblical landscape reserve. They also visited Ateret, where they were shocked to see a new access road being built by Arabs in Area C, an area under Israeli civilian and military control.

Knesset Calls Special Session; Migron Bills on Agenda

Posted on: April 17th, 2012

Two bills that were shelved back in January will be discussed following Likud MK Danny Danon's success in attaining 25 MKs' signatures to call a special session during the Knesset's 39-day spring recess.

100 Ultra-Orthodox Would-Be Soldiers Not Drafted in 2011

Posted on: April 16th, 2012

An officer close to the issue told the Jewish Press: "It is not that we turned away 100 soldiers - had they come to us we would have taken them anyway. But we were told to stop our Haredi outreach efforts which would have netted more recruits. The Tal Law is the big story though. If a new law does not pass we will be in a position to draft 60,000 Haredi soldiers in August."

Whither Kadima?

Posted on: March 29th, 2012

Tzipi Livni must decide on her first step. If she comes up short on the number of MKs needed to break away or if she decides against a split, she will most likely resign rather than stay on under Mofaz’s leadership. Whether or not Livni leaves, Kadima will break into two camps- those who will support Mofaz and those who will try to find another political home.

New Knesset Law Gets Tough on ‘Get’ Refusers

Posted on: March 21st, 2012

The law states that the Rabbinical Court must determine a court date for a Get within 45 days of a divorce sentence. If the Get is not given within that time, the court will issue a restriction order and hold another hearing within the following 45 days. The court will meet within 90 days of giving a restriction order to discuss it and decide if it must be extended. The court will be able to use these extensions as they see fit.

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Noam Shalit’s First Political Interview

Posted on: March 19th, 2012

Shalit announced that he would talk with them if they agreed to it, and he would even shake the hands of Gilad's kidnappers, also saying he would kidnap Israeli soldiers if he was a Palestinian. He insisted that PM Binyamin Netanyahu was not solely responsible for the release of Gilad, and charged that the PM only released his son because the polls showed that 70-80% of the public supported the deal.

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‘Jewish Home’ Blues

Posted on: March 12th, 2012

The Knesset's Jewish Home faction is in danger of splitting, following the internal political maneuvering that has taken place in the National Union.

Battle of the Polls and Hallway Chatter

Posted on: March 12th, 2012

Two polls - one commissioned by Maariv, the other by Haaretz - paint drastically different pictures of the current political frontrunners, leading to heated debate in the halls of the Knesset

Knesset Members Looking Forward To Recess

Posted on: March 8th, 2012

The winter session, which started October 31, 2011, will end on March 21, 2012. The summer session will begin April 30, 2012, and end July 25, 2012. The fifth sitting of the 18th Knesset will start on October 15, 2012. * The May 28th session will be cancelled because of Shavuot. The Spring/Passover Break/Recess will [...]

MK Uri Ariel Unveils His ‘One State’ Plan

Posted on: March 1st, 2012

Ariel said five Israeli Prime Ministers have tried to pursue a land for peace approach, and each have failed. He declared that it was time to present the alternative to the two-state solution - annexing 100% of Judea and Samaria.

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Knesset Event Spotlights plight of Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

The Knesset conference on Compensation for Jewish Refugees from Arab Countries, hosted by MK Nissim Zeev (Shas), raised the profile of his cause and will lead to the creation of a Knesset caucus. Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Vice Prime Minister Benny Begin, Israeli MKs, foreign leaders, and diaspora groups of Arab-country origins filled the Knesset’s Jerusalem [...]

Yair Lapid Offer’s General Political Platform in First Public Speech

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

Lapid proclaimed that the country belongs not to interest groups, lobbyists, business tycoons, ultra-orthodox parties, stone throwers, or those who threaten army officers, but to law-abiding middle class army-serving citizens. He unabashedly identified the three main problems with politics: the current electoral system, the ultra-orthodox parties and corruption.

Nationalist Camp Grows to 76 seats in Recent Poll, Likud Opens Big Lead with 39 Seats

Posted on: February 19th, 2012

According to the poll, PM Netanyahu could form a coalition of 62 seats with Yisrael Beitenu, National Union and Jewish Home without the need for any ultra-orthodox or center-left parties.

Likud Tops Poll Again, Labor and Lapid Chip Away at Kadima

Posted on: February 14th, 2012

Dahaf conducted two telephone polls for newspaper Yediot Ahronot on 10 February 2012 with a sample of 500 respondents and a sampling error of 4.5%.

Kadima MK Breakdown: Who Supports Livni vs. Mofaz?

Posted on: January 29th, 2012

The battle lines in the Kadima primaries in March have been drawn: Livni-Mofaz, Round II

Are Small Parties Good for Democracy?

Posted on: January 26th, 2012

The Jewish Press' Knesset Insider discusses the potential for electoral reform in Israel.