Avidgor Liberman
Avidgor Libermanצילום: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Israeli Finance Minister Avidgor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) expressed confidence Monday that a deal will be reached between the state treasury and the teachers’ union before the beginning of the school year.

With the 2022-2023 school year set to begin this Thursday, Teachers’ Union officials say a strike appears likely, claiming that little progress has been made in talks with the Finance Ministry.

"The gaps between our request and the Finance Ministry proposal are still huge,” Moria Zaguri, a member of the Teachers’ Union administration, told Galei Tzahal Monday morning. “Their dragging their feet is what has brought us to this point. We are discussing minuscule amounts - this is a mockery. Where has the prime minister been until now? Things are falling apart here.”

Liberman dismissed predictions of an impending strike, however, tweeting Monday that the dispute will likely be resolved by Tuesday.

The Finance Minister pushed back on accusations by union representatives that the Treasury is unduly refusing demands for a further 800 million shekels in education funding.

“Anyone who says that the argument between the Finance Ministry and the Teachers’ Union is over 800 million shekels is wrong and is misleading others. The reasons for the dispute are the fact that 78% of the public is not satisfied with the education system, the need for an emphasis on quality [of teaching] rather than tenure, our demand to fit vacations with the Israeli economy, and the authority school administrators should have – like being able to fire unsuitable teachers.”