Pressure mounts in Knesset committee to advance “sovereignty” bill

Members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee have come under pressure to move the “sovereignty” bill forward after it stalled despite passing its preliminary reading.

Avi Maoz, the head of the Noam Party and a Knesset member, submitted six signatures on Wednesday from the committee members to the committee chair, Boaz Bismuth, requesting an urgent session to discuss the bill. Maoz said he had already asked Bismuth last week not to delay the debate but had received no reply.

Maoz warned that the time left to pass the bill during the current legislative session is running out, noting that securing a first reading is essential in order to apply the continuity clause in the next Knesset’s legislative session.

The bill, led by Maoz, seeks to apply Israeli “sovereignty” to the West Bank. It was approved in a preliminary reading and was expected to be transferred to the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee to continue the legislative process. However, it has faced delays inside the committee, even though the coalition holds a majority there.

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