The Knesset early Tuesday morning approved the first reading of a watered down version of the so-called “Rabbis Law”, which seeks to make a change in the budgeting method of the religious councils.
The legislation was approved by a majority of 52 supporters against 38 opponents. It will now be returned for discussions at the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
According to the proposal, the government will be given the authority to allocate additional budgets to the religious councils, beyond the normal budget they receive from the government. The additional budget could be used to finance salaries and additional personnel.
The criteria for the allocation of the additional budgets will be determined by the Minister of Religious Services, after consultation with the Minister of Finance.
In cases where a religious council meets these criteria, the Ministry of Religious Services will be able to add funding and manpower for the councils.
The vote on the law took place despite the fact that MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) on Monday criticized the coalition's conduct regarding the bill, which was proposed by Shas, while the Draft Law and the daycare subsidy bill are still stuck.
United Torah Judaism eventually agreed to allow the law to be put to a vote in the first reading after receiving a commitment that it would not be advanced beyond that without its consent.