The Knesset’s Finance Committee pushed off a critical vote on a bill aimed at stabilizing the coalition government Wednesday morning, amid an ongoing crisis between the Likud and Blue and White.
The Committee, which was chaired by MK Yitzhak Pindrus (United Torah Judaism) standing in for MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) after the latter underwent a medical procedure, opened deliberations Wednesday morning on a bill proposed by the Derech Eretz faction which would push off the deadline for passing a state spending plan by 100 days.
The bill was proposed after the Likud and Blue and White parties failed to reach an agreement on the state budget, with the Likud calling for a one-year spending plan, citing the ongoing coronavirus crisis, while Blue and White demanded the Likud back a two-year budget, as agreed to in the coalition deal.
If not budget is passed and the budget deadline not extend by next Monday night, the Knesset will be automatically dissolved and snap elections called. It will be the fourth time in less than two years that Israelis have gone to the polls.
The Finance Committee cancelled the planned vote after the Likud and Blue and White factions failed to reach an agreement on the bill to delay the budget, with the Likud calling for emergency spending to prevent a financial collapse in the National Religious school system, along with greater flexibility in the budget.
Blue and White rejected the demands, calling for the bill pushing off the budget deadline to be passed immediately, without modification.
“I think there is some confusion here,” said MK Eitan Ginzburg (Blue and White), a member of the Finance Committee. “We convened here to vote on delaying the budget deadline. We didn’t convene here to deliberate on an alternate budget plan for all kinds of different goals.”