Steinitz dashes to Knesset to ensure coalition majority on budget vote
Economy Minister fillibusters with discussion on name origins until Infrustructure Minister arrives in casual wear to vote on time-frame of government budget.
Infrastructure Minister Yuval Steinitz rushed to a Knesset meeting in casual wear on Monday night to ensure a majority for coalition MKs who were successful in passing legislation stating that the government's budget should be bi-annual instead of annual by the narrow margin of just 2 votes.
Fifty-six MKs supported the resolution with 54 in opposition and Economy Minister Aryeh Deri fillibustered for time by launching a theoretical debate on the meaning of him middle name "Machluf" until Steinitz arrived, highlighting the difficulty in managing a coalition with a majority of just one vote.
The coalition discovered moments before the vote on delaying the national budget submission date that Minister Steinitz had gone home, leaving them with only a one-vote majority. He was called back to the Knesset, and arrived an hour later. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was present on the Knesset floor and could be seen counting on his fingers to make sure the government held a majority.
Meretz, Yesh Atid and the Zionist Union all conducted a late night emergency draft in an effort to bring every MK possible to the vote. In the hours leading up to the vote, the parties refused to offset the measure. MK Miki Levy (Yesh Atid) took to the podium and said, "A fiscal year has gone down the drain, the whole country is frozen, you can't build, you can't act, and a whole fiscal year has gone to waste."
When he received a signal from his party mates confirming they had a majority, he quickly left the podium, and the rest of his party mates gave up the right to speak. He was replaced at the podium by Minister Deri, who spoke on behalf of the coalition and tried to pull time.
Deri explained the meaning of his middle name, Machluf, among other things. "What is the origin of this name, Machluf - is it a name that can stand alone? Or is it a substitute for Michael? How do you spell Machluf? There are debates about the name - which I am happy about, I encourage these debates." Deri spoke of his Hebrew lessons in school, however, the opposition aggressively heckled his speech. At a certain point Deri turned to the opposition and said, "Maybe ask me questions and I will answer?"
"It was an odd site," the opposition members said, "He stood there helplessly, and spoke about the origins of the name Machluf." Officials close to Steinitz refused to disclose the reason for his absence but they did say he was not at home.
