The haredi Hamodia newspaper on Wednesday morning hinted that the haredi parties will not support the passage of a budget.
The report follows ongoing negotiations between Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) with Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee Chair MK Bismuth (Likud) on advancing a draft law for the IDF draft.
“It is inconceivable that the haredi representation would vote in favor of the budget or assist in its passage, while the world of Torah is being persecuted, incitement and defamation against it are intensifying, and there is still no sign that this will change,” Hamodia wrote on its first page.
“It turns out that specifically at such sensitive times, when enemies still threaten from every direction, the authorities in Israel are doing everything in their power to ensure that Torah learners whose Torah is their sole occupation will be uprooted, G-d forbid, from their study halls. What lies is at the heart of education and is jewel in the eyes of the haredi public - across all its tribes, communities, and sects - is facing real danger,” the article added.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the haredi parties, who left the government after progress on the Draft Law stalled, to ensure that the government lives out its term.
“This government must serve out its full term. You see what’s happening with the Houthis—that’s why we’re here in this room,” Netanyahu said, according to a Channel 13 News report by Yuval Segev.
“We have the Draft Law before us, and there are other matters I won’t elaborate on here,” he noted. “We need to reach agreement on the budget and the Draft Law.”
“If we complete these tasks, we can continue to lead the State of Israel for years to come,” he asserted. “This is vital for our survival. I don’t believe any other government would have done what we did to eliminate the existential threat above our heads.”