After several weeks of deliberation, Israel's Knesset has officially passed an amendment to the Basic Law that eliminates the possibility of forming "rotation governments," a system in which two leaders alternate serving as prime minister. The Constitution, Law and Justice Committee gave final approval on Monday, following negotiations that led to consensus between the ruling coalition and the opposition.
The amendment not only modifies the Basic Law: The Government, but also removes references to rotation arrangements from related legal frameworks. This system had previously underpinned the Netanyahu-Gantz emergency government in 2020 and the Lapid-Bennett government of 2021–2022.
The primary point of contention during the discussions was the timing of the change. Ultimately, lawmakers agreed that the reform would not take immediate effect but would instead apply beginning with the 26th Knesset, following the next elections.
One of the bill’s key sponsors, MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionist Party), who chairs the Constitution Committee, initially supported immediate enactment but accepted the deferral to secure bipartisan support. “There was no legal obstacle to applying the amendment right away,” Rothman noted, referencing a prior High Court ruling affirming the Knesset’s authority to amend Basic Laws with immediate effect.
Opposition MKs Efrat Rayten and Karin Elharrar (Yesh Atid) criticized the rotation model, arguing that it undermines government function by confusing executive hierarchy and empowering political figures without broad electoral support. They emphasized that the system weakens the prime minister’s authority and distorts political incentives, ultimately to the detriment of effective governance and public trust.
0 Comments