Controversial Command’s Cessation Certain to Cause Concern for Confusing Coalition

Israel’s rocky new coalition government will soon face its first major test, after Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on Thursday announced that next week she will introduce a resolution to extend an existing law prohibiting Palestinians married to Israeli citizens from living in Israel. The controversial temporary ordinance, passed in 2002 in an attempt to stem terror attacks by Palestinians who had moved into Israel, has been extended periodically over the years, and is again set to expire in the coming days. The previous government, led by former prime minister and current opposition chair Binyamin Netanyahu, intentionally delayed last week’s scheduled vote on the decree’s extension, hoping to embarrass the new Naftali Bennett-led administration sworn in on Sunday. The patchwork coalition, which also incorporates an Islamic party, appears to be short of the required majority to approve the extension, and has called on Netanyahu’s right-wing opposition to assist in the vote. While the parties making up the opposition support the bill, it appears their desire to embarrass Bennett and Shaked, their former allies, will prevail.