Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior leaders of the ultra-Orthodox factions on Tuesday that there is no majority to pass the daycare subsidy bill, according to a report by journalist Yishai Cohen. The warning came as tensions rose inside the coalition over the bill, which has not been brought to a vote.
In response, MK Moshe Gafni told the coalition that because the daycare bill is not moving forward, two Degel HaTorah representatives on the Finance Committee will vote against all budget transfers scheduled for approval that day. Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers also said they would not back other coalition legislation, including a bill to establish a political investigative committee.
A senior Agudat Israel figure told N12, after the bill was left off the agenda, “If the prime minister does not bring the daycare bill now, there is no point in continuing this game.” He added, “We demand that on Wednesday we vote to dissolve the Knesset in second and third readings.”
The ultra-Orthodox are also blocking advancement of the broadcasting bill. They object because the government app would operate on Shabbat and could include pornography content funded by the state. United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf said in the Knesset committee on Sunday that he would oppose the bill, arguing the amendments were insufficient and demanding that the government app not work on Shabbat at all and not include indecent content. He said, “They are increasing Shabbat desecration under state sponsorship.”
