MK Sharan Hashakel’s bill, according to which a ceiling of expenses of NIS 100,000 per year will be set as the maximum amount that the elected public and his family together can take out of their pockets as a contribution to routine political activity, passed a preliminary reading tonight (Wednesday). About David Amsalem, who fell tonight. The mind’s proposal passed with a majority of 64 supporters, including Amsalem himself.
MK Hashekel said “the law seeks to ensure integrity and prevent the purchase of power by money. The law seeks to prevent the creation of excessive political dependence on capital, which has been dubbed ‘government capital’. Describe a situation in which only rich people could be elected to the Knesset. “
MK Dudi Amsalem told the plenum that “Judge Miriam Ben Porat said: ‘The government does not buy with money’, when you want to be elected to the Knesset you offer the capabilities and the ideology and not the bank account. Everything is possible to buy, even criminal organizations buy with money – a lot of soldiers. He who is truly decent and honest cannot vote against the law and whoever votes against him is a corrupt man at the base.
“I want everything to be honest and people to be convinced why they deserve to be elected and not buy people with money. I have no idea why Barkat appropriated the law? Why is NIS 200,000 not money? If you scatter millions of shekels you are buying a state. In seven years “They are billionaires and they will pass laws in their favor so that the slaves can continue to work for the minimum wage. There is nothing more decent than this law.”
Likud members who supported the law were Eli Cohen, Yoav Galant, Shlomo Qara, Yariv Levin, Amir Ohana, Yuval Steinitz, Miri Regev, Israel Katz, Ofir Katz, Orly Levy Abkasis, Keren Barak, Galit Distel Atbrian. Likud chairman Netanyahu Not present in plenary at all at the time of voting. Opponents of the law from the Likud: MKs Miki Zohar, Barkat, Katie Sheetrit, Etty Hava Atia, Tzachi Hanegbi, Avi Dichter and Haim Katz.
Immediately after the vote, MK Nir Barkat issued a statement to Likud functionaries in which he attacked the initiators of the law and his supporters and wrote: “Unfortunately, there are activists who are still stuck in old politics – and they are afraid of me, It will not help them … These days, when the country is facing the Iranian threat, the corona crisis, a severe wave of rising prices, and the problems are only growing, what are the government of Saar, Bennett, Lapid and all the old politicians doing? In a personal law against me. “