Last update - 00:00 06/03/2007
Proposal to oust Katsav will not receive necessary majority
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent
The procedure to dismiss President Moshe Katsav from his position is expected to conclude on Wednesday, following a vote in the Knesset House Committee. It is already clear that the proposal to oust Katsav will not receive the required majority.
Thirty-eight Knesset members last month signed a request for the start of proceedings to oust Katsav, in light of the sexual offenses and breach of trust of which he stands accused.
To be passed on for a vote in the Knesset plenum, the proposal must garner majority support from 75 percent of the committee members (19 out of 25 lawmakers).
Six of the 25 members will not be participating in the vote, after having skipped one of two meeting held by the committee on the issue of Katsav's ouster. In addition, five other committee members - Shas' three representatives and Yisrael Beiteinu's two representatives - have already announced their opposition to forcing Katsav to resign.
Even if the 14 remaining committee members support the proposal to dismiss Katsav, it will not meet the required majority. If the proposal were passed on to the Knesset plenum, it would require a majority approval from 90 MKs to be set into motion.
Wednesday's vote was initiated by MKs Limor Livnat and Zahava Gal-On, who numbered among the 38 Knesset members who signed the petition to begin proceedings against Katsav. Livnat and Gal-On said it would be fitting for the committee to meet as soon as possible to determine whether there would be a possible majority in support of the ouster.
"It is important for the public to know who are the elected representatives who are preventing the president's ouster," said Gal-On.
If indeed a majority is not reached in support of dismissing the president, "it will we a shame and disgrace for the Knesset, because it will given the Knesset a hand in letting a serial sex criminal continue to serve as the state's No. 1 citizen."