Coalition Parties to Ask High Court for Further Extension on Draft Law

At the weekly meeting of the leaders of the coalition parties on Sunday, the parties have decided to turn to the High Court to ask for a further extension on the looming deadline of the Draft Law.

Several months ago, the High Court granted a three-month extension, from the original September deadline. The government had at the time sought a seven-month extension, which would have lasted until the last day of the Knesset’s winter session, assuming that by that date the coalition would have succeeded in formulating a law that would be amenable to all its factions. However, the court only agreed to give the government until next Sunday, Dec. 2.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Minister Yariv Levin, Minister Naftali Bennet, Minister Ayelet Shaked, Deputy Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman and coalition whip MK David Amsalem. MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni and Minister Rabbi Aryeh Deri did not attend the meeting.

The High Court had ruled last September that a version of the law, which had been supported by the chareidi parties, was unconstitutional, and gave a one-year deadline for passage of a new bill.

The law, which might topple the existing government, was approved in first reading in the Knesset in August.

With the many hurdles involved in the law, as well as the recent departure of Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party from the coalition, leaving a minimal coalition of 61 MKs, the passage of the law will be very difficult.

Political analysts predict that the court will not approve a further extenstion.