On Monday, the controversy over the Arnona Law led to a shutdown in the local authorities, and now the storm over the Arnona Law is splitting the Likud faction, leading to attacks on coalition partner Bezalel Smotrich.
Although outwardly a united front is presented, disagreements emerged at the faction meeting over the bill. MK Eli Dellal attacked the law: "The Arnona Law is wrong, there are other ways to do it. There are elections this year. No mayor likes to be taken away," the MK also attacked the finance minister from the Religious Zionist party: "Likud mayors also don't like the law, and this will mainly hurt us, the Likud. Smotrich doesn't care because his base hasn't been hurt by it."
MK Eli Dellal, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The dispute in the Likud over the question of the Arnona fund is not limited to the Knesset faction. The person leading the local government in the protest strike against the law is Haim Bibas, mayor of Modi'in, chairman of the local government and head of the Likud's municipal committee. Earlier this week, sources in the Finance Ministry accused him of exerting pressure on Likud MKs to thwart the move. Finance Minister Smotrich also attacked him: "It's a pity, Chaim, that you don't have the courage to show leadership and admit that on Thursday night we reached an agreement with you on the law and its formulas."
The person who hastened to offer her services to explain the law to the public was Information Minister Galit Distal Atabrian: "Legal advice will allow me to explain the government's work. I got permission to make government work accessible – it was hard to get it. Each initiative I will explain it. Contact me two weeks before. I'll make videos, I'm your TV channel."
Fierce confrontation over legal reform
The place of the legal reform was also not absent from the faction meeting, and between MKs Tali Gottlieb and Kati Shitrit there was a debate that reached high tones on the question of advancing the legal legislation.
MK Kati Shitrit, a member of the dialogue team at the President's House, reviewed the status of the talks and insulted her fellow party members: "The talks are important, and are held wholeheartedly and with a willing soul. It is very harmful and offensive that Knesset members who are not in discussions, and do not understand anything about what is happening at the president's residence, are interviewed and damage dialogue just to get a headline."
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