Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will officially end his turn with the mandate to form a new government at midnight Tuesday.
Once that takes place, Netanyahu’s right-wing and religious bloc will also lose control over the key Knesset Arrangements Committee, led by Likud MK Miki Zohar until midnight Tuesday night. The committee was zooming through legislation Tuesday in a race to advance its bills before the mandate deadline.
As of midnight, the committee will be led by the “change bloc” — those who may differ on issues but are united on the goal to eliminate Netanyahu.
But it’s not yet midnight and Netanyahu’s bloc is getting as much done as possible, since it is likely that very little proposed by Likud and its allies will pass the committee as of 12:01 am Wednesday.
On Tuesday the Arrangements Committee passed a fast-tracking bill (17-15) on Tuesday that will allow the parliament to override Supreme Court rulings with a majority vote by lawmakers.
The bill was passed with the support of the New Hope party headed by Gideon Sa’ar, although he is one who has vowed to end Netanyahu’s control over the government.
There are a number of other bills the committee is zipping through as well, including one that would authorize “illegal” Jewish settlements. That bill will go to the Knesset plenum for a vote on Wednesday.
Likud Whip MK Miki Zohar — who heads the Arrangements Committee until midnight — said he also planned to present a bill to allow a death sentence for terrorists and the much-anticipated bill that would change elections laws to allow a direct vote for candidates running for prime minister.