Coalition whip sanctions Likud MK for Judicial Selection Committee vote fiasco

Likud MK Tally Gotliv was sanctioned by coalition whip MK Ofir Katz on Thursday after she broke party and coalition discipline by refusing to pull her candidacy in Wednesday's Judicial Selection Committee vote in the Knesset.

Until further notice, Gotliv's membership in the Knesset committees will be frozen, she will not be allowed to propose bills and will not be allowed to speak in the name of the Likud faction in the Knesset.

"Ofir Katz, number 32 on the Likud list. A loyal soldier, he decided to tell the media instead of me that I will be sanctioned and removed from the Knesset committees. Good for you, Ofir," Gotliv reacted to the sanctions on her Twitter account.

"I already clarified with the legal advisor that there was no breach of coalition discipline. You acted in a bullying and vengeful way. My loyal Likud friends, please remind him that you see everything," she added.

Fellow Likud MK Boaz Bismuth joined the controversy by writing on Twitter: "Members of the Likud faction, I just want to remind you, the heaviest sanctions are given by Likud members - in the primaries."

The chain of events caused by Gotliv's refusal

Gotliv's conduct was an important catalyst for the unforeseen turn of events on Wednesday in the Knesset, that led to the election of just one of the two necessary committee members, opposition MK Karin Elharrar.

The leading candidate for the coalition was Otzma Yehudit MK Yizhak Kroyzer, due to the fact that the Likud promised a spot on the Judicial Selection Committee to Otzma Yehudit in coalition agreements.

However, as the time of the vote neared on Wednesday, Tally Gotliv refused to remove her candidacy, leaving open the option that two coalition MKs would be chosen.

Once Netanyahu realized that he could not ensure one of the spots on the committee would go to the opposition, he changed tactics and decided to delay the vote for 30 days using a specific clause in the Knesset protocol. 

Netanyahu, therefore, decided to have Kroyzer's candidacy removed, so that only Gotliv and Elharrar were left, enabling the delay mechanism.

"The prime minister, coalition heads and the Likud are unwilling to accept a situation in which a Knesset member acts on her own accord and violates coalition agreements, especially on this sensitive issue," the coalition heads said, regarding Gotliv.

"Therefore, the coalition heads, with no other option, decided to apply the clause in the Knesset protocol that enables them to leave the situation as it is and choose no candidate, until a new vote is held within 30 days."

Netanyahu then directed all coalition MKs to vote "no" for both candidates. However, the move failed, and at least four coalition MKs defied his orders.

Eliav Breuer contributed to this story.