BICOM

The Knesset will begin its winter session on Sunday with a number of issues set to top the legislative agenda which are likely to generate political instability.

Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior ministers have insisted this week that rumours of an impending general election are unfounded, there is tension between a number of coalition partners. Although Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid eventually reached agreement on the 2015 budget, the protracted debate between them during the past few weeks exposed differing views on economic management. The Knesset will likely approve the budget by the end of the year, avoiding mandatory elections, but it looks set to receive sharp opposition. The chair of the Knesset Finance Committee, MK Nissan Slomiansky this week said that he would conduct in-depth budgetary deliberations and indicated that the end of year deadline for approval might not be met.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu this week angered Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah party, by rejecting proposed legislation to reform the state-sanctioned Jewish conversion process. Although Livni has said that Hatnuah will push the bill with opposition support, another coalition partner Jewish Home has suggested it will leave the government if it becomes law. Issues of religion and state are likely to feature as a flash point during the upcoming Knesset session.

It was also reported this week that Jewish Home leader and Economy Minister Naftali Bennett told Netanyahu that unless West Bank construction plans are advanced, his faction will abstain from a no-confidence vote scheduled for Monday. However, further attempts to facilitate West Bank settlement would likely be fiercely opposed by Livni and Lapid. Earlier this week, Livni said that she had been in talks with Lapid, effectively creating an informal alliance. She commented, “We will create one front in the government and in the Knesset on the peace process issue, one bloc, 25 seats.  Together in favour of a peace arrangement.”