After the withdrawal of Otzma Yehudit members from the Knesset plenum in protest of the budget, Torah Judaism is also not accepting the numbers. At a meeting held Wednesday evening by the Agudat Israel faction (the Hasidic branch of Torah Judaism), party members were outraged by the discrepancy between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's promises and what the ultra-Orthodox actually received, and even threatened that they would vote against the budget.
"We will insist on budgets that Smotrich agreed with us and did not put into the budget, including the budget for yeshivas, exempt institutions and rabbis." The party added: "We will not give up, we will not vote for the budget."
Agudat Israel said in response: "At a faction meeting held this evening, it was decided to insist on upholding the agreement signed with the list of Torah Judaism, including the commitment to the budgets of the children of Talmud HaTorah, yeshiva students and Avrachi Kollel. As we know, this issue has always been the first in the coalition agreement, and our only demand is the full implementation of the agreement."
Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Earlier today, senior coalition officials attacked National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after members of his party abandoned the plenum and did not participate in some of the votes, leading the coalition to a series of losses.
The abandonment of Otzma Yehudit's Knesset members came against the backdrop of cuts in the budget for the Negev and Galilee, an office belonging to Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf, on behalf of Otzma Yehudit, who last Monday sent a harsh letter to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
MK Jurai Lahav Herzno's bill passes the plenary session // Photo: Knesset Channel
Ben-Gvir at the Israel Hayom Security Committee (archive), photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Senior coalition officials attacked Ben-Gvir, saying that "he cares more about media coverage than about maintaining the right-wing government and the integrity of the coalition. The government solves problems together, and contrary to his spin, he is not the only one who cares about the Negev and Galilee." The officials added, "Maybe it's really better if they topple the government, go to elections, and the public kicks out whoever toppled the right-wing government. The rise of a left-wing government will be on his head."
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