The Knesset voted Wednesday to block a proposed “Who is a Jew” bill introduced by MK Avi Maoz of the Noam party, halting the initiative at its initial stage.
The legislation aimed to stipulate that registration as a Jew in Israel’s population registry would rely exclusively on conversions recognized by Israel’s rabbinic courts.
In the preliminary vote, the proposal was defeated by a margin of 60 to 15, with support coming from a limited number of lawmakers, including members of the United Torah Judaism and Shas factions.
Maoz pointed to what he described as a contradiction between the outcome of the vote and remarks made last month by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir at an event in Kfar Chabad, where he said, “We need to pass the ‘Who is a Jew’ bill.” Despite that statement, the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionist parties did not back the bill during the plenary vote.
Coalition sources placed the blame for the failure on Maoz himself, arguing that his decision to advance the bill without securing sufficient support doomed its prospects. “Maoz proposed the bill from the opposition without a majority. This move harms the bill since it’s now automatically postponed by half a year. He is trying to make political gains, but in fact, he delayed the bill,” the sources said.
The same sources added that the move ran counter to guidance from Chabad rabbis, saying they had advised moving forward only once enough votes were assured. “Who instructed to advance the bill only when there is the needed majority to pass it. Unfortunately, it would seem that Avi Maoz’s goal is to try to undermine the coalition and harm the stability of the right-wing government,” they said.
Responding to the vote, Maoz described the outcome as a “historic miss” and said the struggle over Israel’s Jewish identity would continue both publicly and in the Knesset. “Today we see who is prepared to stand behind their declarations about a Jewish state and who chooses to run away at the moment of truth,” he said.
{Matzav.com}
