MK Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) blasted Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman, who on Friday published a long list of demands on religion and state as a condition for joining a government.
"Everything is ‘fake’ with Liberman, he is fooling the entire country, the media, everything for his own personal needs," Maklev told Yehuda Shlezinger of the Israel Hayom newspaper.
"Liberman has already started the election campaign propaganda. He is fighting until the last drop of blood and will turn the state upside down in order to bring Netanyahu down. We know that, but not all voters like it, so he is targeting the haredim,” he continued.
Maklev added that "Liberman says on the one hand 'I do not want to open grocery stores in Bnei Brak', and immediately talks about changes that need to be made in our education system, so does he want to intervene or not? I do not need approval of our education system from Liberman, he does not set a personal example, he’s not an educator or a role model, a person who talks about the haredim not paying taxes, and dozens of people in his party have been questioned, some of whom have also been accused of misuse of money, forgery and tax evasion.”
“He’s talking about taxes? What did he do with the taxes we paid? He’s talking about others? A cynical man. There are no limits to his incitement, to his polarization," charged the UTJ MK.
His comments come after Liberman on Friday detailed his demands for entry into the government.
"The Draft Law as originally written and in its entirety, the repeal of the Supermarket Law, conversions by city rabbis, a practice that was accepted since the founding of the state until 1994. We have made clear that we will not accept any ‘supervision’ from the Chief Rabbinate intended to select and prevent the rabbis of Tzohar (Rabbi Stav, Rabbi Riskin et al.) from conducting conversions. On this point, I regretted the fact that MKs supposedly representing the national religious public did not join our position and preferred to align with the position of the haredim,” said Liberman.
"Civil marriage for anyone who wants it without restriction, a reconfirmation of the Western Wall outline as approved at the time by the Netanyahu government, urban transportation on Shabbat based on the decision of the mayor and the city council and according to the nature of the population in each locality,” he continued.
A day earlier, Liberman stated in a radio interview that if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu would compromise on issues of religion and state, he would join a right-wing coalition.
Following those remarks, the haredi parties urged Liberman to present a final list of demands, which he did.