On Monday the winter session of the Knesset began. We returned to the usual witch-hunt which takes place around the arrangements law.
This year the Ministry of Finance planed to submit, together with the two year budget,  a huge arrangements law, that includes a variety of reforms, including the Wisconsin plan.

In the opening session the speaker of the Knesset Rubi Rivlin talked about the danger to our democracy. He talked about the government trying to bypass the Knesset with a biennial budget bill, the arrangements law and the referendum bill. The Speaker was trying to highlight the fact that the Knesset rejected the Wisconsin plan and now the government dares to submit it again as if it was never discussed in the Knesset.

He said that duty of the government is to rule and is not a privilege, so it is the Knesset’s most elementary and the most important duty to implement proper legislation procedure. The attempt to submit the Wisconsin plan together with the arrangements law is an example of how the government tries to bypass the Knesset.

It is unacceptable that significant reforms, that sometimes have implications on basic human rights, will be dictated to the public without any serious discussion in the Knesset. If the government wants the Knesset to approve reforms, it should be submitted within the regular legislation procedure. The government can not force the Knesset to accept twisted procedures. He said he hoped that we are at the beginning of an era in which there will not be a need to bypass, through the arrangements law, the parliamentary control of this house.

Articles on the Speaker’s speech:
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/165/547.html?hp=0&loc=108&tmp=7517
http://www.news1.co.il/Archive/001-D-251336-00.html

More threats of racist laws
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1192638.html

We, the human rights organizations have much work to do, and what's more, people who support our viewpoint should stand up and resist the attempt to turn our country into a racist country.
It is important that our voice be heard loud and clear – the protest must start now and here, if not, we can not know what our future will be.

This Saturday night there be a protest in Tel Aviv.  Here is the link with the details.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132391723480356

Hoping for better days,
Idit