Ultra-Orthodox Parties Furious as Government Delays Daycare Subsidy Bill

The ultra-Orthodox parties reacted angrily after the coalition said it would not bring the daycare subsidy bill to a vote today, citing “severe public criticism.” In response, they announced they would not support the bill to establish a political investigative committee. They are also freezing progress on the broadcasting bill because a government app would broadcast on Shabbat and could carry problematic content financed by the state.

The Haredi factions had wanted to pass the daycare bill in its second and third readings within the next two weeks, in order to restore daycare subsidies for young yeshiva students who received draft orders. That plan now appears to be derailed, and at this stage the bill may not even reach the Knesset plenum.

Last week, during a heated Finance Committee debate on the daycare bill, United Torah Judaism faction chair MK Uri Maklev demanded that the wording be clarified so that eligibility for daycare subsidies would depend on the mother’s employment status, regardless of the father’s status. United Torah Judaism wants a clear, uniform test based only on the mother’s work status, rather than language that could leave the current situation unchanged.

The faction said that ahead of the next Knesset readings, it will seek wording that cannot be interpreted in a way that blocks implementation. The proposal was initiated by Degel Hatorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni, Deputy Minister Yisrael Eichler, and a group of lawmakers. Under the bill, admission priority to daycare centers and state participation in tuition would be determined only by the mother’s employment or study status, while in single-parent families the status of the sole parent would be considered. Household income per capita would still remain part of the eligibility test.