Vote on Trajtenberg Report delayed

Massive pressure on behalf of university students, coalition factions, leads government to defer vote on socioeconomic committee's recommendations

Ronen Medzini|Published: 10.02.11 , 19:41

The governmental vote on the Trajtenberg Report, which was scheduled to take place Monday morning, has been postponed due to massive pressure by Israeli university students and coalition factions.

Instead, the government will hold a discussion on the recommendations raised in the report, which call for social and economic reforms.

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Student Union Chairman Itzik Shmuli turned to Israeli ministers on Saturday, requesting they reject the Trajtenberg Report in its entirety. His call came after some reports claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was planning on bypassing the vote at the Socio-Economic Cabinet meeting and presenting the report for governmental approval only.

התראה אחרונה לפני פינוי. הפקחים, היום (צילום: מוטי קמחי)

City inspectors in Tel Aviv's tent city on Sunday (Photo: Moti Kimhi)

Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas announced their objection and requested to postpone the vote. Shas officials even went as far as to say they will reject the report either way once the vote will take place.

Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov (Yisrael Beiteinu) sent a letter to Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser, in which he protested over the short period of time his faction was given to study the recommendations of the report.

In a conversation with Ynet, Misezhnikov criticized the report, saying it was an attempt to cover up the real issues. "If the report will be up for a vote tomorrow, it would be considered underhanded opportunism, and we would have to vote against it."

Meanwhile, as social activists in Tel Aviv's tent city prepare to be evicted from the premises after receiving a 'final notice' from city inspectors, the movement leaders also slammed Netanyahu's plan to vote on the Trajtenberg Report on Monday.

"We will not accept any more underhanded opportunism from the Israeli government," said social protest leader Daphni Leef . "One has to wonder why the prime minister is in such a rush to pass a governmental report considered unacceptable by almost everyone, and not willing to take well-deserved criticism."