After Ra’am Opposes Conversion Outline, Vote on Law Delayed

A dramatic development in the Knesset on Wednesday, when due to opposition from members of the Isalmic Ra’am party to the conversion outline raised by MK Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), and after pressure from chareidi MKs on MKs from Ra’am, the Knesset vote on the conversion law was postponed. According to reports, MK Nir Orbach also opposed the outline, which Minister of Religions Matan Kahana is promoting together with Malinovsky.

According to a report on Arutz Sheva, in closed talks between Orbach, Malinovsky and Kahana, it was decided regarding the conversion law that Ra’am’s queries into the law would be answered, the wording of the law would be amended, and the law would be put to a vote in two weeks. Until then, Kahana must submit a memorandum of law, and then attach to Malinovsky’s previous law. If Kahana does not bring an amended law memorandum within two weeks, Malinovsky’s bill will be put to the vote, which is opposed by Ra’am.

Commenting on the decision to postpone the vote on the conversion reform, UTJ MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni expressed the hope that after the postponement, the government will still find itself without a majority.

“I hope that they will not become guilty of passing this bill,” Rabbi Gafni said. “The attempts of this ‘Erev Rav’ government to dismantle Judaism will not succeed – they will not gain a Knesset majority, just as they did not manage today. I hope that a majority of the MKs will vote against this bill in another two weeks.”