On Monday, the Knesset House Committee will convene to vote on whether to declare Yamina MK Amichai Chikli a rogue lawmaker and oust him from the Yamina party. The proposal is expected to pass despite Ra'am boycotting the vote.
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Chikli argued the label did not apply as he had not asked the opposition led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a reserved slot on his Likud party list.
Knesset rules prevent any lawmaker declared a rogue MK from joining any faction during the current Knesset term or serving as a minister or deputy minister. Chikli would also be prevented from running in the next round of elections with a party currently sitting in the Knesset.
In a conversation with Israel Hayom, Chikli says, "The big question is what is a party and what is its significance.
"To my understanding, a party is the totality of its commitments to the voter, it is a conceptual and ideological platform, not a private business. That's why the central question is whether I acted in accordance with the ideological platform and the commitments offered to the voter. It was not me but [Prime Minister Naftali] Bennett and [Interior Minister Ayelet] Shaked who quit. They resigned from the party's ideas.
"This is such a just battle. I am doing this with a lot of drive and energy," he says.
Despite the preparations, Chikli is well aware he will face an uphill battle at the committee as a majority of committee representatives are coalition members compared to just three representatives from the opposition.
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"I don't have any expectations for committee members to really come with an open heart … These are people who will do what their bosses tell them to do. I certainly don't expect Norwegian lawmakers [who were afforded ministerial roles following another minister in the party's resignation] to genuinely listen and vote differently from how they are told to vote," Chikli said.
"I know the significance, but I don't intend to walk out of the discussion and make celebratory declarations on the establishment of a party. There are just two parties right now in the national camp and that needs to be taken into account.
"Yamina and New Hope quit the nationalist camp, and today there is only the Likud and the Religious Zionism Party; the Haredim [Shas and United Torah Judaism] are more sectorial. A vacuum has been created in the nationalist, liberal, traditional-secular public that isn't necessarily interested in voting for Likud or a Knesset list that is religious by definition and that is why there is room to maneuver here. I assume new forces will enter that I will either integrate with or lead."
On Sunday, the High Court of Justice convened to review Chikli's petition demanding the Knesset committee meeting be postponed. Chikli claimed the discussion was to be held at short notice that did not allow him to argue his case, and in addition, sought to obligate Bennett and Shaked to attend the discussion as his witnesses. The justices alluded to Chikli having petitioned the meeting too early, before the meeting had taken place, and Chikli was forced to rescind the petition.
"I didn't understand what the rush was to hold the discussion during the [Knesset] recess] and hold it so quickly. What happened? Are the Syrians at the gates?!"
As for the decision to rescind the petition, Chikli says this will allow him to make use of the claims in the future.
Responding to those on the Right who claim he has lent a hand to High Court interference in Knesset activities, Chikli said: "I did not ask the High Court to intervene in the Knesset's routine work or the review process for government actions or legislation, but just the legal process."
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
