Opposition MKs Barred From Voting on Tally Gotliv’s Immunity

The Knesset House Committee is concluding its debate on removing the parliamentary immunity of Likud MK Tally Gotliv, but three opposition lawmakers have been ruled ineligible to vote. The committee’s legal adviser informed members before the ballot that Ahmad Tibi of Hadash-Ta'al, Walid Taha of Ra'am, and Pnina Tamano-Shata of Blue and White cannot participate.

The reason is procedural: each of them attended fewer than 50% of the committee’s hearings, and the rules bar lawmakers from voting if they did not follow enough of the discussion. The move comes as the opposition is already struggling to organize itself around the vote.

Gotliv appears to benefit from the restriction, although it is unlikely to change the final outcome. The coalition already had the votes to support keeping her immunity, which would protect her from the indictment filed against her for revealing the name of a Shin Bet employee, the husband of protest organizer Shikma Bresler.

According to the report, the indictment was filed about two years after the incident and only after Shin Bet chief David Zini asked the defense minister to sign the document allowing criminal proceedings while preserving the secrecy of classified material supplied by the Shin Bet.