The secret ballot in the Knesset plenum to choose the Knesset’s representatives to the committee for the selection of judges was held this afternoon (Wednesday).
The candidates are MKs Tali Gottlieb (Likud) and Karin Elharrar (Yesh Atid). Israel Beitenu announced that it supports the vote for Tali Gottlieb and asked the rest of the opposition to do the same. “We are acting according to a tradition of years that was accepted in the Knesset. We do not interfere in who the coalition representative is. We will vote for a coalition representative and an opposition representative.”
The coalition decided to vote against the candidates and thus postpone the vote for another month, which led the opposition to threaten to end the talks on the judicial reforms at the President’s Residence.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by calling on the opposition parties to enter into real negotiations: “Gantz said yesterday that if the coalition elects two representatives to the committee for selecting judges, he will blow up the talks. Well, that didn’t happen, but he continues to threaten.”
“So I say to the opposition, stop the threats, stop the excuses, after three months of rejecting every compromise proposal we bring – sit down with us seriously, enter into real negotiations and we will finally reach agreements.”
The coalition leaders called for the continuation of the talks at the President’s Residence and criticized MK Gottlieb for not withdrawing her candidacy.
“The Prime Minister, all the heads of the coalition, and the Likud faction, are not ready to accept a situation in which an MK acts on their own accord and violates the coalition agreements, especially on this sensitive issue. That is why the heads of the coalition decided since there was no other choice, to activate the clause in the Knesset’s statutes that allows the situation to be left as it is and not to choose any candidate, until new elections are held within 30 days,” they said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) reportedly lashed out at Netanyahu over the latter’s plans to back the election of the Opposition’s candidate for the committee, demanding that both spots reserved for MKs be given to the Coalition.
“The Opposition isn’t giving us anything,” Levin said. “Why do we need to make concessions to them? They protest against us, beat us, spit on us, then they tell [MK Simcha] Rothman ‘stop being a crybaby.’ Why should we make concessions to them? What have they given us in return? Nothing.”