The Proposed legislation to encourage fairer representation of women in political parties, by MK Tzipi Hotovely, chairperson of the Committee on the Status of Women, and by MK Einat Wilf, passed through the Ministerial Legal Committee, despite the objections of the Justice and Finance Ministers.
This bill was proposed to correct the party funding law. According to the new legislation each faction of whose number of women exceed 35% of its members, will receive extra funding. The bill determines that a sum of five and a half million shekels will be apportioned to all parties eligible for the bonus, therefore it is not considered a budgetary law. Furthermore, the bill determined that when the proportion of women reaches 40% of the Knesset, the law will be automatically nullified.
The Bill was formulated in conjunction with The Koach Nashim Association, its purpose is to incentivize the parties to seek proper representation of both genders in the Knesset. Currently there is not a single faction with a 35% ratio of women representatives, out of 120 Knesset members there are currently only 22 women serving in the Knesset. Unlike similar bills submitted by previous legislatures, this bill will not fine parties that do not meet the appropriate representation quota, but only grant positive incentives to those who successfully fill the quota, in order not to harm the principle of equality between the factions in Israel.
MK Tzipi Hotovely, Chairperson of the Status of Women Committee said: "I welcome the decision of the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, of whom a majority supported the bill. I hope that the proposal will soon garner the support of the majority of the members of the Knesset, and that under this current Knesset it will enter the legal code of The State of Israel. "
MK Einat Wilf: "The struggle for Israel's advancement toward openness and liberalism is taking place simultaneously in different areas, and the encouragement of the integration of women into politics is one of them. Today we achieved an important victory in the path towards a breakthrough in the positioning of women in the political system in Israel. I congratulate the Labor ministers, Isaac “Buji” Herzog and Shalom Simhon, as well as minister Minister Gideon Saar, who all fought for the bill at the ministerial committee meeting today."
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