TEL Aviv _ Agencies
The Knesset (Parliament) plenary on Wednesday afternoon held a special session on the "Law of nationalism", after 25 Knesset members filed a request to hold it during the current summer recess.
Although the speaker of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, had endorsed the meeting, the Israeli prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had refused to attend the hearing, especially since he was obliged to attend only if the request was made for 40 members of the church.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu wanted to attend the hearing, but ministers and church members of the government coalition advised him not to take part in the hearing by claiming that members of the opposition Knesset had ambushed him.
Fewer than 30 members of the opposition parties and six members of the coalition were present in the Knesset Plenary Hall. The majority of the members of the Joint List are absent from the meeting. Eight members of the Knesset from the opposition participated in the debate, all of whom were criticized as "the Law of Nationalism".
The opposition leader, Knesset member Tzipi Livni, and the President of the party "Yesh-elect" Netanyahu called for a date for the general elections.
