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A Knesset-backed vote on controversial legislation granting the Ministry of Culture the power to suspend funding on the basis of political criteria has seemed to be delayed after a key coalition party announced that it would not be possible for the government to suspend funding on the basis of political criteria. he would let MPs vote as they wished, questioning the pbadage of the bill.
The so-called culture fidelity bill proposed by the Minister of Culture, Miri Regev, has been criticized as a form of censorship on the arts.
On Sunday, two members of the Knesset coalition said they would vote against it, and Kulanu party leader Moshe Kahlon said it would not strengthen party discipline during the vote.
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The coalition retaining power with a greatly reduced majority of 61-59, each vote needs bipartite or total support of the coalition to be adopted.
Kulanu MP Rachel Azaria said on Sunday that the bill would be "difficult to support" if it were to be put to the vote in the final plenary scheduled for Monday.
Moshe Kahlon (right) and Rachel Azaria shake hands at a press conference in Jerusalem, announcing that Azaria would join the Kulanu festival on January 6, 2015. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
"I call on the coalition not to submit the draft law on loyalty to culture to a vote," she said in a statement.
Likud veteran MP Benny Begin told coalition chairman David Amsalem that he would also vote against the bill, according to Likud sources.
MK Liky, Likud MP, at the Knesset Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, April 30, 2018. (Miriam Alster / Flash90)
Finance Minister Kahlon said Sunday evening that his party's lawmakers would be free to vote on the bill as they please, as well as several other contentious bills proposed by the government.
Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked has proposed allowing ministers to appoint legal advisers from their department, and another bill to eliminate a loophole allowing President Reuven Rivlin to appoint a legislator who does not chair a party as Prime Minister.
Legislation on loyalty, proposed by Regev and supported by Kahlon himself, would allow the government to withdraw funds from organizations or events featuring one of the following five themes or themes: denial that the state of Israel is a Jewish and democratic country; incitement to racism, violence or terror; support for armed struggle or acts of terror against Israel by an enemy state or a terrorist group; mark Israel's Independence Day as a day of mourning; or any act of destruction or physical degradation of the flag or any symbol of state.
Minister of Culture Miri Regev at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on November 8, 2018. (Alex Kolomoisky / Yedioth Ahronoth / Pool / Flash90)
While the Ministry of Finance is currently responsible for final decisions on the withholding of this public funding, Regev's bill would transfer full power over arts budgets to his department.
Critics say the bill will enshrine state censorship of the arts.
Responding to Azaria and Begin's announced opposition, Regev said on Sunday: "We will pbad the law without them," and called on Yisrael Beytenu's president, Avigdor Liberman, who recently reinforced the coalition. with the five seats of his party, in order to realize the previous vow to support the bill.
"The national camp will not forgive you for that. As a former defense minister, you know that the overthrow of this law will reward terrorism, "she said.
Earlier, Yisrael Beytenu said that his deputies would consider voting in favor of the bill in exchange for support for his own bill, to allow Israel to sentence death-row terrorists to death.
"We will behave according to the famous saying of the Prime Minister:" if they give, they will have. If they do not give it, they will not get anything, "the party said in a statement.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman leads a faction meeting of his party Yisrael Beytenu in the Knesset on October 29, 2018. (Miriam Alster / Flash90)
The party-sponsored death penalty proposal was first read to the Knesset in January, despite the reservations of some legislators in the coalition. Since then, his progress has been repeatedly delayed due to opposition from the security forces. Since he left the coalition, Liberman has been almost powerless to get it pbaded by a committee.
The so-called Cultural Loyalty Bill was finalized for second and third reading by the Knesset's Committee on Education, Culture and Sports, with eight in favor and six opposed, along with lines of coalition and opposition.
Legislation was amended at the request of three government members to include a clause that would require the Minister of Culture to consult professional staff before withdrawing funds. It is also stated that no departmental official can submit a recommendation for withdrawal of funding unless you personally have seen the work of art.
"We recommend the coalition members to prepare their sleeping bags, because there will be a very big obstruction Monday," said the faction of the Zionist Union, opposed to the opposition, in a statement, after the approval of the law by the parliamentary committee.
The bill has been criticized by artists, the Knesset's legal adviser and a deputy attorney general.
Hundreds of people are witnessing a protest against Minister of Culture Miri Regev's "Cultural Loyalty Bill" in front of the Tel Aviv Cinematheque on October 27, 2018. (Miriam Alster / Flash90)
Regev has made numerous threats to reduce public funding for cultural productions and organizations that she considers unfair to the state since she took office as minister of justice. Culture following the 2015 elections.
Two years ago, she withdrew from the Ophir Awards – the Israeli equivalent of the Oscars – when a poem by the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish was read, as her work contains objections to the existence of a Jewish state. .
She also described the critically acclaimed film "Foxtrot" last year as defaming Israel. The story of parents afflicted by the loss of their son is largely allegorical, but Regev insisted that the film – which includes a scene of IDF soldiers committing a war crime – is "Self-flagellation and cooperation with the anti-Israel narrative". Press release, Regev asked Israeli film funds to provide detailed information on the film approval process, with the aim of reducing state funding for films criticizing the policies of the Israeli government.
Earlier this month, Regev asked the Ministry of Finance to review funding for the Haifa International Film Festival, due to the screening of "subversive" films. Walla's news site reported that the two films intended to draw the minister's attention were "Out", which tells the story of a former IDF soldier who joined a right-wing organization that attempts to damage the reputation of human rights defenders, and "Acre Dreams". which portrays a love story between a Jew and an Arab at the time of the British Mandate.
Raoul Wootliff contributed to this report.
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