Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich decided this evening (Monday) to temporarily resign from his position in the government in order to remove MK Yitzhak Kroizer from Otzma Yehudit from the Knesset on the grounds that National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is violating the terms of the coalition agreement.
A source in the Religious Zionism party told Arutz Sheva that "Otzma Yehudit's behavior is incomprehensible. It's a shame they are not fulfilling their commitment to return Sukkot to the Knesset, even though, at Otzma Yehudit's request, the coalition left MK Kroizer in the Knesset at the time of their party's withdrawal from the government."
"Sukkot and Kroizer are excellent national parliamentarians, but Ben-Gvir's refusal to fulfill his commitment and [carry out] the removal of these two players from the coalition is unnecessary and inappropriate," the source said.
The Otzma Yehudit party was restrained in its response, stating, "We will not get into unnecessary quarrels in the coalition. If it doesn't work out, we don't need 'Norwegian' MKs." The party noted that they have found a new role for Kroizer, outside the Knesset: "He will be appointed director-general of Otzma Yehudit."
Religious Zionism party director-general Yehuda Wald wrote, "We kept Kroizer in the Knesset for two months in the place reserved for Religious Zionism, even though Ben-Gvir and his party withdrew from the coalition and expelled Zvi Sukkot from the Knesset. Now they have realized that they were wrong and returned to the government. Welcome back. Now, despite explicit agreements, they refuse to abide by the agreements and return Zvi to the Knesset. Itamar demands jobs and a ministerial position that is unnecessary at the expense of the Israeli people in the middle of a war. Childish behavior."