In accordance with article 22 of the Rules of Ethics for Members of the Knesset,² the Ethics Committee resolves as follows:

Application

1.

(a)

This procedure shall apply to approaches by the Speaker to the Ethics Committee under one of the articles 70, 72, or 103f of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, and appeals by Members of the Knesset before the Ethics Committee, under article 71a, or 103e of the Rules of Procedure.

(b)

To other complaints connected with the conduct of a Member of the Knesset in the Knesset plenum, or a committee of the Knesset Committees, the provisions of the Ethics Procedure for Members of the Knesset (complaints) shall apply.³

An approach by the Speaker

2.

(a)

The Speaker, when approaching the Ethics Committee under article 70, or 72 of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, shall append to his submission the stenographic minutes including the details of the event, as a result of which the Knesset Member was removed from the Knesset sitting (hereafter - the Knesset Member against whom the complaint was made).

(b)

The Speaker, in approaching the Ethics Committee under article 103f of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, shall append to his submission, the submission of the Committee Chairman to him, and as far as possible - the minutes of the Committee, that includes the details of the event, as a result of which the Knesset Member was removed from the Committee meeting (hereafter - the Knesset Member against whom the complaint was made)

Summoning of Knesset Member against whom a complaint was made

3.

The Chairman of the Ethics Committee shall provide the Knesset Member against whom the complaint was made with the submission of the Speaker, and the material attached to it, and shall summon him for a deliberation in the Ethics Committee.

Time of deliberation of complaint

4.

The Ethics Committee shall deliberate a complaint within fourteen days of its being submitted, and during the Knesset recess - within a month of its being submitted, at a time set by the Chairman of the Committee; The Chairman of the Committee is entitled to set a later time for this purpose, if, in his opinion, there are circumstances that justify this.

Continuity of deliberation

5.

Once the deliberation of a complaint has begun, the Ethics Committee shall hold the deliberations regarding it, as continuously as possible.

Quorum

6.

(a)

The Committee shall deliberate a complaint only if at least three members were present at the deliberation.

(b)

Should a member of the Committee be unable to participate in the deliberation, or should he be unable to participate in it because he is the Member against whom the complaint was made, the Chairman of the Committee shall approach the Speaker with a request to appoint another member to the Committee, for the purpose of the deliberation before it.

(c)

In every decision connected with a complaint, the Committee shall decide by a majority of votes of all its members.

Invitation of the Chairman

7.

The Committee is entitled, on the basis of a proposal by a member of the Committee, or on the basis of a request by the Knesset Member against whom the complaint was made, to invite the Chairman of the Committee, or the Chairman of the Committee from which the Knesset Member was removed, for a deliberation about the complaint; Should the Chairman of the meeting, or the Chairman of the Committee ask to be summoned to the deliberation - the Committee shall summon him.

Right to a hearing

8.

(a)

A concluding decision shall not be adopted regarding the submission of the Speaker, except after the Knesset Member, against whom the complaint was made, has been given an appropriate opportunity to appear before the Committee, and state his case; However, the Committee is entitled to decide about the submission of the Speaker, should the Knesset Member have been provided with an invitation to the deliberation, and he refused, or refrained from appearing before the Committee, without his having given a reasonable justification for this.

(b)

The Knesset Member, against whom the complaint was made, is entitled to bring evidence to prove the argument, that what appears in the minutes is inaccurate, or that he did not behave in the manner attributed to him, but he shall not be entitled to invite the Chairman of the sitting who removed him from the Knesset plenum, or from the Knesset Committee, except with the approval of the Committee.

Decision of the Committee

9.

(a)

At the end of the deliberation on the submission of the Speaker, the Ethics Committee shall give its decision, shall report it to the Speaker, and shall lay it on the Knesset’s table; Should the submission to the Committee be under article 103f of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, the Committee shall report it also to the Chairman of the Committee from which the Knesset Member was removed.

(b)

Should the Committee decide to remove the Knesset Member, against whom the complaint was made, from the Knesset sittings, it shall inform him of his right to appeal the decision, in accordance with the provisions of article 73 of the Knesset Rules of Procedure.

Implementation

10.

(a)

Should the Committee decide upon one of the steps enumerated in article 70 (c)(3) to (5) of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, the Speaker shall refer its decision to his Deputies and to the Knesset Secretary General, for implementation accordingly.

(b)

Should the Committee decide to remove the Knesset Member, against whom the complaint was made, from the meetings of a Knesset committee, the Chairman of the said Committee shall act accordingly.

Submission of appeal under article 71a

11.

(a)

A Member of the Knesset, who appeals the denial of his right to be given the floor in the plenum, under article 71a(b) of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, shall submit his appeal by means of the Speaker.

(b)

The Speaker shall refer the appeal for the comments of the Chairman of the sitting, who denied the Knesset Member the right to speak, and the latter is entitled to comment on the appeal, in writing, within three sitting days of the Knesset, or ask the Committee to call him for a deliberation of the appeal.

(c)

The Speaker shall refer the appeal to the Ethics Committee, at the end of the stated time for receiving the reaction of the Chairman of the sitting, with the reaction, should it have been submitted, appended.

Submission of appeal under article 103e

12.

(a)

The Knesset Member who appeals his being removed from the meeting, under article 103e of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, shall submit his appeal by means of the Chairman of the Committee, who removed him from the meeting.

(b)

The Chairman of the Committee shall refer the appeal to the Ethics Committee, with or without his reaction, within three sitting days of the Knesset, and is entitled to request the Committee to summon him to a deliberation of the appeal; Should the Chairman of the Committee fail to refer the appeal to the Ethics Committee as stated, the Knesset Member, who was removed, is entitled to approach the Ethics Committee directly, and one views the Chairman of the Committee as having waived his right to react.

Quorum

13.

(a)

The Committee shall deliberate the appeal only if at least three member of the Committee are present at the deliberation.

(b)

Should a member of the Committee be unable to participate in the deliberation, or should he be unable to participate in it because he is the appellant, the Chairman of the Committee shall submit a request to the Speaker to appoint another member to the Committee, for the purpose of the deliberation of the appeal.

(c)

In any decision touching upon the appeal, the Committee shall decide by a majority of the votes of all its members.

The deliberation in the Committee

14.

The Committee is entitled to receive an appeal under article 71a, or under article 103e, even in the absence of the appellant; However, if the Chairman of the meeting, or the Chairman of the Committee sought to invite him to the deliberation in the Committee, the deliberation shall take place in the presence of the appellant.

Decision of the Committee

15.

At the end of the deliberation of the appeal, the Ethics Committee shall give its decision, and shall inform the Speaker thereof, and shall lay it on the Knesset’s table; If the appeal to the Committee was under article 103f of the Knesset Rules of Procedure, the Committee shall also inform the Chairman of the Committee from which the Knesset Member was removed.