News Brief08:27 AM

(IsraelNN.com) Shas head Eli Yishai warned Wednesday that his party would quit the coalition if the government does not increase the monthly child allowance payments. In an interview with Army Radio, Yishai slammed Welfare Minister Yitzchak Herzog’s proposal to use child allowance payments to start a trust fund for children instead of giving the money directly to parents.

Herzog says his initiative would ensure that the child allowance money is used for the good of the child, and would allow young adults from poor families to break the cycle of poverty. Yishai and fellow Shas members argue that the proposal would hurt children from poor families, whose parents often need the child allowance money to buy essentials such as food and clothing.