Same-sex marriage vote postponed, Knesset dispute ensues
Habayit Hayehudi instructs speaker to postpone vote on credit points to same-sex couples. Yesh Atid responds with fury: 'This is an act of war.' Mediator Edelstein tells MKs Shaked, Koll: 'Go argue outside'
The announcement came just as MK Adi Kol from Yesh Atid, who initiated the bill, was justifying the bill one final time before the vote.
Related stories:
- Peres expresses support for same-sex marriage
- EU court: Homosexuality can be grounds for asylum
- Lapid: US is Israel most 'strategic asset'
"The coalition has told me that the vote is being postponed to a further date," Edelstein said in the announcement.
MK Nitzan Horowitz, Meretz , responded with anger. "This is a disgrace of a government."
Because of the postponement, Kol and Habayit Hayehudi faction leader MK Ayelet Shaked began to argue, to the point when the two were asked to "go argue outside" by Edelstein. The two did continue to argue outside of the main assembly, and Kol's colleague, Education Minister Shai Piron tried to reconcile them.
The decision to postpone the vote was approved because of Habayit Hayehudi's declaration that the vote wasn't coordinated in advance with them. Finance Minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party members were furious about the decision, calling it an "act of war." Members of the coalition said that during Kol's speech, the hallways of the Knesset were already burning with others members already knowing that the vote was going to be delayed.
Late Tuesday night, the coalition was still trying to reach an agreement, which would have resulted in a vote Wednesday on the final proposal, and then during the legislative process, there would be further changes, understandings and agreements with Habayit Hayehudi. During the upheaval in the assembly, Habayit Hayehudi said that Yesh Atid had taken back its promise about the arrangements.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said that the agreement was that Koll would not include recognizing same-sex couples. "We saw that Adi (Kol) went back on that issue."
This week, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill that would fix the income tax rule, and give same-sex couples the same credit points for their children as heterosexual couples receive.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
