| June 17, 1996 |
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June 07, 1999
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Selected Events:
| 10.7.1996
| The Knesset discussed motions for the agenda regarding the Bar Ilan Road. Thousands of Haredi citizens had protested in demand for the closure of the road on Shabbat. These weekly demonstrations turned into violent confrontations with the police forces on the premises. Minister of Transportation Yitzhak Levy appointed, under an order from the Supreme Court, a public committee for this matter headed by Dr. Zvi Zameret. The recommendations of the committee stirred a public uproar and were rejected by both Haredi and secular groups. The Minister informed the Supreme Court on his decision to close the road during Shabbat and holidays. The Supreme Court approved his consideration after verifying that the secular public found alternative solutions for transportation. |
| 3.9.1996
| A debate on a motion for the agenda regarding the lashing of Haredi groups in the press against the President of the Supreme Court, Aharon Barak.
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| 24.9.1996
| The Hasmonean Cave at the Western Wall was opened under the direction of Prime Minister Netanyahu. Riots in East Jerusalem broke out the following day, resulting in the death of 14 IDF soldiers and 69 Palestinians. Pressure by the American administration brought King Hussein of Jordan, Yasser Arafat, and Benjamin Netanyahu to convene in a summit at Washington, which restored the order in the West Bank and Gaza. |
| 14.10.1996
| The Speaker of the Knesset marked ten years since the capture of navigator Ron Arad. |
| 24.10.1996
| A special plenum sitting was held to commemorate a year since the murder of Prime Minister Rabin. |
| 28.10.1996
| A special plenum sitting marked the 100th anniversary for Zionism. |
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Overview
The Fourteenth Knesset officiated for three years, during which one government presided – the 27th Government of Israel, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu. Its dispersal for elections was brought about due to difficulties in the function of the coalition.
The 14th Knesset was the first one to be elected simultaneously with direct elections for the Prime Minister. This system was intended to stabilize the executive powers and decrease its independence in the Knesset. However, the split of the votes caused a substantial reduction in the size of the two previously dominant parties, allowing for the entrance of middle-sized factions (of seven to ten mandates). The fact that the Prime Minister’s faction consisted of 32 MKs – the smallest faction headed by any previous prime minister – did not encourage stability. The 14th Knesset was the last in which the majority of seats were held by the two largest factions: the Likud and the Labor Party.
During its tenure, the discipline among coalition members and parliamentary groups continued to lapse. Furthermore, there were many splits and mergers within and between factions. Among these, towards the end of the Knesset’s term, was the merger between the right-wing factions to form the National Union and the merger of several Likud, Labor and Tzomet MKs to form Israel in the Center, which was later renamed the Center Party.
Instability within the Government was expressed by frequent shifts of ministers in key portfolios. In this way, for example, three finance ministers and two justice ministers were appointed under controversy. The Knesset often debated affairs relating to the Government’s and the Prime Minister’s functioning. One of these affairs concerned the Prime Minster’s decision to open the Western Wall Tunnel to the public – a matter of great political differences – on the eve of Yom Kippur, during his first year in office. His decision was made without consulting the defense forces and it eventually led to an outburst of violence against Israel within the Palestinian Authority, which ended with the death of 14 IDF soldiers and 69 Palestinians. Another affair concerned the appointment of advocate Ronnie Bar-On as Attorney General in January 1997, and his resignation from the post the following day.
A party of immigrants from the former Soviet Union was elected for the first time to the 14th Knesset – Yisrael Be’aliyah, headed by Natan Sharansky. It was expected to become an integral part in the Israeli political system, as was with Shas, but it was a temporary phase, allowing immigrants to fit into various parties from the whole of the political spectrum. The Haredi parties, which held 14 seats altogether, led a public attack on the judicial system and in particular against Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Aharon Barak.
The Fourteenth Knesset frequently discussed the peace process with the Palestinians, mainly focusing on the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron – which was ratified by the plenum on January 16th 1997 with 87 MKs in favor, 17 against and 1 abstention. The Knesset also ratified the Wye River Memorandum (signed in Washington in October 1998) during a no-confidence motion on November 17th 1998, which resulted in 75 MKs in support, 19 against, and 9 abstentions. The debate was characterized by concerns of the left-wing parties on the slow progress of the process, while right-wing parties criticized the Prime Minister’s willingness to withdraw from additional territories.
This Knesset also dealt frequently with the Government’s economic policy, which combined the Ministry of Finance’s cutbacks of the budget alongside the Bank of Israel’s policy of high interest rates. Both of these tendencies led to a deceleration in the market. Finally, difficulties in passing the budget for 1999 brought about the early elections to the Fifteenth Knesset.
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| 10.1.1997
| Ronnie Bar-On was confirmed as Attorney General. Fierce public pressure brought about his resignation 60 hours following his appointment. |
| 16.1.1997
| Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported on the Protocol Concerning the Redeployment in Hebron, approved by the Government the day before. The Knesset approved the Protocol with 87 Knesset Members in favor, 17 against and 1 abstention. The Protocol was drawn up in accordance with the Taba Agreement, and directed the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Arab region in Hebron. |
| 5.2.1997
| A memorial sitting was held in memory of the 73 soldiers who perished in the collision of two military helicopters by the northern border. |
| 26.3.1997
| A motion for the agenda was raised concerning the terrorist attack at the “Apropo” coffee shop in Tel Aviv, in which three women were killed and six others injured. |
| 3.6.1997
| Ehud Barak was elected as Chairman of the Labor Party. |
| 17.6.1997
| The Knesset discussed the report of the Social Security Institute on poverty in Israel. |
| 5.8.1997
| A debate was held on the terrorist attack at the Mahane Yehuda Market, in which 14 were killed and 160 injured. |
| 9.9.1997
| The Knesset debated the terrorist attack in Jerusalem, in which five citizens were killed, and the events in Lebanon leading to the death of 11 naval commando fighters.
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| 13.10.1997
| The Knesset debated on motions for the agenda regarding the attempt to kill Hamas leader Khaled Mashal and the decision to release Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from his arrest. The Mossad attempted to assassin Mashal, the head of the Hamas political bureau on September 25th while in Jordan. The attempt failed and the Mossad agents were captured. At the request of King Hussein of Jordan, Israel provided the antidote to the poison afflicting Mashal, and his life was saved. In exchange for the release of the Mossad agents, Israel released the spiritual leader of Hamas, Ahmed Yassin, from his arrest. |
| 10.11.1997
| A debate, initiated by MK Alexander Lubotzky on Herzl, Zionism and Judaism, marked the anniversary of Herzl’s passing. |
| 26.11.1997
| Parliamentary questions were posed on the increase in the number of foreign workers in Israel. |
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| A Selection of Enacted Laws |
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| 21.1.1998
| Motions for the agenda were raised on Yasser Arafat’s planned visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington and his invitation to the Ghetto Fighters’ House in Kibbutz Yad Mordechai. |
| 3.2.1998
| MK Yitzhak Cohen presented a motion for the agenda on the undermining of trust in the judicial system in Israel; MK Shevach Weiss presented a motion for the agenda on the completion of the constitution towards the 50th anniversary of independence of the State of Israel. |
| 16.2.1998
| The Knesset debated the Israeli society’s positions towards immigrants from the former Soviet Union. |
| 23.2.1998
| The Knesset debated the Ne’eman Commission Report and other compromising suggestions on the subject of conversion. The Prime Minister appointed the Commission on June 27th 1997 for shaping ideas and suggestions on conversion in Israel, needed to resolve the problems of many immigrants from the former Soviet Union who made Aliyah by the Law of Return despite the fact they were not considered Jews by Halacha (Jewish Law). The Commission proposed to establish an institution of Jewish studies in preparation for a conversion. The institution, they concluded, will be made up of representatives of the three streams in Judaism – orthodox, conservative and reform, while the conversion will be conducted by a rabbinical court of the Chief Rabbinate. |
| 8.4.1998
| A debate was held over the deadlock in the talks with the Americans and the incapacity of Netanyahu’s Government to promote the peace process. |
| 11.11.1998
| The Knesset discussed the threats made to justices and to personnel of the State Attorney and the possible jeopardizing of the Rule of Law in Israel.
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| 17.11.1998
| An announcement was made by the Prime Minister on the agreement signed at the Wye Plantation in the United States: US President Bill Clinton, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed the agreement on October 23rd, in the presence of King Hussein of Jordan, on the Wye Memorandum for the execution of the second phase of the Taba Agreement. The agreement was approved in a no-confidence motion with 75 Members of the Knesset voting in favor of the agreement, 19 against, and 9 abstentions. |
| 4.2.1999
| The 1999 Budget Proposal and Arrangements Law, for the sum of 215,000,000,000 NIS, was passed.
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