Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg on Monday was forcibly dragged out of a Knesset hearing by ushers in protective face masks after she was ordered to leave the chamber due to repeated interruptions.
The incident took place as the Knesset special committee convened to debate legislation that will change one of the country's Basic Laws to facilitate the terms of the coalition agreement between Blue & White and Likud.
3 View gallery
Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg is dragged out by ushers from a Knesset committee debate
(Photo: Knesset Channel)
The controversial legislation sparked vociferous opposition from left-wing lawmakers, which peaked as the committee chairman, Blue & White MK Eitan Ginsburg, ordered Zandberg removed from the hall.
Zandberg refused to leave calmly as she was approached by three ushers in protective face masks. After repeated requests, she was forcibly removed from the chamber.
Blue & White MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, who defected from Yesh Atid to Gantz' party after he struck the coalition deal with Netanyahu, was also removed from the discussion after hurling insults at her former colleagues in Yesh Atid.
The hearing opened on a stormy note as Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid, who pulled his party of the political alliance he had with Blue & White chief Benny Gantz when he discovered his secret coalition negotiations with Likud, attacked both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Blue & White associates.
Lapid, who with Gantz had been joint leader of Blue & White, also expressed doubts that Netanyahu would honor the rotation deal and said he was willing to help the prime minister cancel the agreement if asked.
"Any moment Netanyahu doesn't want to do the rotation, all he has to do is come to me and say, 'I want those [Basic] Laws back to their original wording.' We will say 'yes,'" Lapid said.
Lapid pointed out that with the support of the breakaway Blue & White factions - Moshe Ya'alon's Telem and his own party - Netanyahu's right-wing bloc would have 75 votes.
Under the terms of the coalition agreement, Israel will effectively have the simultaneous tenure of two prime ministers - Likud leader Netanyahu and Gantz.
The title of prime minister will be held by Netanyahu for 18 months with Gantz as acting prime minister and defense minister. Gantz will take over as prime minister in October 2021, but each will have the right to veto government decisions during the other's tenure as premier.
Time is running out for setting the legislative framework for the rotation in place, as the Knesset's mandate to name the head of the next government expires on May 6.
i24NEWS contributed to this report