MK waves basketball during Knesset debate, sparking uproar

MK Ronit Tirosh (Kadima) and Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat (Likud) got into a verbal spat on the Knesset floor yesterday. The two have been at odds since Tirosh served as Education Ministry director-general while Livnat was education minister.

Tirosh accused Livnat yesterday of refusing to support her bill - which would prevent discrimination in allocating budgets to women's sports - only because of the tense relationship between the two. Tirosh caused an uproar during the debate in the plenum on the proposed law when she waved a basketball from the podium during her speech - a violation of Knesset rules.

"I call on the Sports Minister to pick up the gauntlet - or, to be more accurate, the ball." Tirosh said she was passing Livnat the ball, which has been rolling farther and farther away from women's sports teams.

Tirosh later said, "Madame Minister, get a hold of yourself. I do not want to think that [just] because I am sponsoring a law you have an interest in defeating it."

Knesset ushers quickly took the ball away from Tirosh.

Livnat soon took the podium and responded: "MK Ronit Tirosh. You will not defeat me or educate me or teach me about women's rights and status. Not even with a basketball or a football, or with gimmicks or judo gloves on the Knesset podium. It will not happen. But I will continue to act even without unneeded and unnecessary legislation," said Livnat.

MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima) also attacked Livnat. "Your feminism has become origami. It is folding feminism whose time has passed. This is the 2009 model of Limor Livnat," he said.

The Knesset defeated Tirosh's bill by a large majority.