Today (Sunday): Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz announced the imposition of a “punishment” on the Otzma Yehudit party in response to their vote against the Trapped Profits Law: “Starting now and until further notice, the bills proposed by members of Otzma Yehudit who voted against coalition discipline will not receive coalition support and will not be brought to the agenda,” stated the coalition chairman.
Katz added that government bills from the Ministry of National Security will be examined on their merits, and only those that are urgent and relate to national security will be passed. “Such a significant and ongoing harm to the stability of the coalition and its functioning will not go unnoticed. It is unacceptable that they issue an apology and at the same time promise to continue disrupting the coalition’s work.”
“We Have Never Shied Away from Penalties”
In response to the sanctions, Otzma Yehudit stated that they “have never shied away from punishment,” detailing several instances where they preferred, according to them, to choose ideology over political price. “This was the case when we fought against the policy in Gaza even prior to October 7, this was the case when we changed the conditions for terrorists in prison despite opposition, this was the case when we implemented policing reforms, this was exactly our struggle for the removal of the opposing Attorney General, and it will be the same now in the battle against the severe harm caused by Treasury officials to the Israel Police and the Israel Prison Service, as well as the closing of police stations and alert posts. We will continue to fight fearlessly for the people of Israel,” they concluded.
The Vote and Ben Gvir’s Apology
It’s important to note that the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, opposed the Trapped Profits Law and forced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend the vote from the hospital, contrary to the recommendations of his doctors. He also brought in MK Boaz Bismuth from a shiva period – an action for which he later apologized in a video he published: “I reflected on Shabbat and recognized I was wrong when I saw the Prime Minister and Boaz in the and we did not offset their presence. I apologize to the Prime Minister and to my friend Boaz Bismuth. From now on, we will offset the Prime Minister until his full recovery, God willing,” stated the Minister of National Security.
