The Knesset rejected a bill submitted by Yesh Atid, which would have prevented anyone under indictment from being asked to form a government. Fifty-seven Knesset members voted against the bill, while only 37 voted for it on Aug. 12. This can be attributed to the absence of the Blue and White party from the plenum at the time of the vote. Also conspicuous in their absence were Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Matan Kahane of Yamina.
The Blue and White party’s decision came as a surprise, given all of party leader Benny Gantz’s statements before the election about how he would never sit in a government with a prime minister under indictment. Equally surprising, however, was an announcement by Chairman of the Arab Joint List Knesset faction Ahmad Tibi, who said, “The members of the Joint List — all of them — would vote for the bill preventing a prime minister from serving if he is under indictment.” What caught everyone’s attention was the way he stressed “all of them.”
