What’s going on behind closed doors of the Knesset?

If you believed that the Knesset was really in summer recess, think again!

Not only is there no vacation break, but there are those who are working feverishly, at a marathon pace, coming up with every wish-list law they could possibly imagine, with the intent of bringing on a tsunami of legislation which, if passed, will make Israel unrecognizable and no longer a pluralistic, democratic society.

Here is just a sneak peek at what is being proposed:

• The addition of an extra 1,000 rabbis to regional councils. This will triple the present number of rabbis already there. It will facilitate authority to the minister of religious services to force the election of 35 additional city rabbis with huge salaries. They can then be appointed to secular cities which have no need or interest in rabbis. (It should be noted that the appointment of additional rabbis had been stopped in the last 15 years, due to their having no usefulness. The addition of so many rabbis will now provide many government-funded jobs for hundreds of yeshiva graduates.

• Changing the composition of the committee for selecting judges. If passed, this would give the government coalition in power total control over all judicial appointments. The Judicial Selection Committee would also end up having immunity from High Court review. This would facilitate the appointment of like-minded judges whose political and ideological bias could negatively impact civil rights and hurt Israeli minority groups.

• A gender-separate bathing law in Israel’s parks and nature reserves, allowing for a number of separate hours amounting to 15% for men and women. Although recently rejected by the attorney general, there will be another attempt to advance the law, which would negatively impact families and tourism, limiting the freedom of entrance at all times. 

• A conscription law for all yeshiva students to have a permanent exemption from military service, superseding the clause for approval of conscription by a fast-approaching date. This is tantamount to massive evasion by one sector of Israeli society to serve their country. 

• An expansion of the rabbinic court influence – for religious institutions to act as arbitrators in civil disputes, as well as divorces and family matters, such as child support. This court would be in competition with other civil courts and rely solely on Halacha (Jewish law), overstepping the boundaries of regular courts. The fear is that such courts would be discriminatory to women who prefer family courts to rabbinic courts, whose judges are men and who use Halacha as their basis, which is preferential to husbands.

• A law to ban the light rail on Saturday. Finally, with the opening of the six-year light-rail project in the center of the country, which cost the state 18.7 billion shekels, (over $4.9 billion) there is a proposed law that would prevent the trains from running on Shabbat. The move is seen as religious coercion by the secular population who would benefit by utilizing the transportation to visit friends and family, and take part in cultural pursuits.

• Municipal laws to force the closure of all businesses on Shabbat. Up until now, there have been businesses that remained open. 

• A food stamp law that would distribute food to the ultra-Orthodox community before the holidays (only a month away). Distribution would come through the Interior Ministry rather than through the welfare department. This plan would make it possible for the ultra-Orthodox community to enjoy a 70% exemption from paying municipal taxes, giving them an advantage over other sectors of the Israeli population.

• Property tax law to allow the transfer of property tax funding from well-established municipalities to ultra-Orthodox settlements. This proposal adopts a socialistic governance that takes from the wealthier and gives to the poor, creating a more level playing field, while placing the burden on residents who pay a higher tax level because they live in a more prosperous area. In effect, they end up financing poorer populations.

[Most of the information about these proposals was taken from a Hebrew article in the Calcalist.]

All of the above proposals are being drawn up and anxiously awaiting the Knesset's winter session in the hopes of getting approved. It is a compilation of each party representative putting forth their list of proposals which will benefit their particular community and constituency, knowing that the chances of them being approved, by this sympathetic coalition, are stronger than ever.

Consequently, the ultra-Orthodox community has much to gain as they wait patiently for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yariv Levin to be the facilitators of a monopoly state that is designed to only be tolerant of one interpretation of the Jewish faith that comports with only one lifestyle - theirs. 

The idea is to push out any other alternative viewpoints or choices, literally making it an outright coup of the nation that has, until now, been tolerant and accepting, for the most part, of a large variety of other positions. Knowing what is coming down the pike, explains why massive protests continue week after week because most Israelis are not willing to live in a one-size-fits-all state.

At this point, the ultra-Orthodox can demand pretty much whatever they want since they hold the key to Netanyahu’s coalition. Knowing that it is their support, which is the glue to this government, they couldn’t be in a better position than they are to make self-benefitting demands to greatly enhance their standing, so why not reach for the moon?

Each party representative wants their piece of the pie, just as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir have gotten theirs, so the lists keep on coming with the hope that they will also be the beneficiaries of a great windfall. Once they succeed, there will be plenty of time to make up for the summer vacation they gave up in deference to furthering their own personal agendas!