New Hope faction chairwoman Sharren Haskel announced on Wednesday that she would stop voting with the coalition to protest Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz blocking the legislation on two of her bills regarding the legalization of cannabis. Horowitz supports decriminalizing cannabis but prefers to do it with Health Ministry directives.
Haskel wants a special Knesset committee formed to legislate the bills. She warned her entire New Hope faction would rebel if the committee was not formed.
The coalition did not fall in any votes on Wednesday. It nearly fell on a bill extending the legal period for planning the new northern city Harish, due to the opposition of the Ra’am (United Arab List) Party, but the legislation passed thanks to the support of MKs from Likud.
