MK taking Golan referendum bill to Knesset
House Committee chair says bringing bill requiring referendum for ceding of land to second reading
Despite the fact that Ministerial Committee on Legislation has not yet decided on the Golan Heights referendum bill under its inspection, the chairman of the Knesset House Committee has already decided to promote it.
MK Yariv Levin (Likud) announced Monday that he would bring the bill to its second and third readings in the Knesset soon.
Levin, one of the bill's initiators, claims that the ministerial committee has discussed bill, but has not yet voted on it. He said he had decided to promote the bill in the Knesset without waiting for the committee's approval.
He says he had been promised that the bill would be brought up for approval before the coming recess. However the move may embarrass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned recently from a meeting with US President Barack Obama regarding peace talks.
The ministerial committee discussed the bill earlier Monday. Several ministers, including Isaac Herzog and Dan Meridor, vehemently opposed the bill and prevented a vote, which was postponed by three weeks.
The bill states that any government decision to cede land in the Golan Heights or east Jerusalem would have to undergo a referendum within 180 days. Only the approval of the withdrawal by 80 MKs or more would override this requirement.
In December the Knesset decided to hold a debate on the bill, which was supported by 68 MKs and opposed by 22. One MK abstained.
