Construction and Housing Minister and United Torah Judaism party chief Yaakov Litzman has warned that his party may bolt the government if a new nationwide lockdown is imposed across Israel during the upcoming holiday season.
According to a report published Friday by Hamodia, Litzman has informed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that, in coordination with Shas chief Aryeh Deri, haredi lawmakers would not enable the government to impose a lockdown during the holidays.
The report quoted Litzman as telling Netanyahu that if the government does impose a lockdown, UTJ will seriously consider leaving the coalition.
Litzman also criticized what he called a double-standard in the enforcement of restrictions on mass public gatherings.
“On the one hand, permission is given to hold mass protests on Balfour [Street in Jerusalem], and entertainment venues are reopened, while on the other hand, restrictions are maintained against synagogues and no solution is worked out to permit flights to Uman. The public’s faith in the system has been crushed.”
On Thursday, Litzman said during an event in Nahariya that his party would not help the government impose a full closure of synagogues.
“There is no chance we’ll allow them to close the synagogues during the holidays. Not during Rosh Hashanah, not during Yom Kippur, and not during Sukkot. These are holy days during which everyone – haredim, national religious, traditional, and secular Jews – attends synagogue, and there is no chance they’ll be closed. If we need a lockdown, do it today. Not during the holidays.”