A vote to ratify the unity government agreement was postponed Sunday after a line item in the coalition negotiations that would allow plans for a sovereignty bid to proceed without approval from Blue and White leader Benny Gantz had been left out.
This means that according to the letter of the coalition deal, as presented for approval, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be able to override Gantz's objection to a proposal for sovereignty and present a sovereignty proposal to the cabinet for a vote.
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Every government approves a coalition deal as a matter of course but because of the special make-up of the current unity government, the deal includes certain items that generally have not been issues in the past. First and foremost, the prime minister-designate has the power to keep certain items off the cabinet agenda. Right now that power lies with Gantz; when and if the rotation occurs, Netanyahu will be able to do the same thing.
However, the coalition mechanism stipulating that both leaders must agree on what items will be presented to the cabinet includes some exceptions and specifically gives Netanyahu the power to bring a sovereignty bid to a vote without Gantz's agreement. However, the issue of sovereignty was left out of the document to be ratified on Sunday.
Sources close to Netanyahu said that the document reflected the coalition agreement and that Netanyahu and Gantz had agreed that the former could bring a sovereignty bid to the cabinet for a vote.
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