Knesset Legal Advisor Blocks Communications Law Over Procedural Flaws

Shagit Afek, the Knesset's legal advisor, issued a letter to Knesset members on Thursday stating that the current legislative process for the Communications Law is invalid. Afek highlighted that approving 3,294 amendments during the plenary vote without prior committee discussion constitutes a procedural defect and violates Knesset regulations. This legal opinion effectively halts coalition efforts to pass various amendments in the plenary, including one proposed by MK Avi Maoz concerning the composition of the selection committee. Afek emphasized that the only way to rectify the situation is to return the bill for further committee deliberation. The parliamentary reality is complicated by the sheer volume of amendments, which are often used as a parliamentary tool to delay legislation, forcing committees to spend extensive time on each amendment and thereby hindering the completion of the legislative process.