Coalition chair MK Ofir Katz reiterated to Haredi representatives Monday morning that he does not have a majority to pass the daycare funding bill and will not bring it to a vote today. United Torah Judaism responded by threatening to block all other coalition legislation, warning "if there is no majority for daycare, there will be no majority for any other law," according to a coalition source.
Coalition chair MK Ofir Katz reiterated to Haredi representatives at 10:34 Jerusalem Monday morning in a second successive message that he does not have a majority to pass the daycare funding bill and will not bring it to a vote, according to a coalition source. United Torah Judaism responded by threatening a legislative blockade: a party source warned that if the bill does not pass, UTJ will oppose all other coalition legislation, raising the stakes hours after the coalition had already postponed the vote.
As The Zioneer reported at 10:34, Katz had initially informed Haredi MKs he lacked a majority — triggering UTJ threats to boycott Knesset votes, first reported by N12 at 10:34. By 10:55, MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) had publicly warned that if the bill is not brought to a vote today, UTJ will not participate in Knesset votes. At 10:57, The Zioneer's initial bulletin captured Katz's coordinated messaging to Haredi representatives, and by 11:10, the standoff expanded into UTJ's broader threat to block all coalition bills. Coalition sources confirm efforts to advance the daycare legislation are still underway behind closed doors.
The daycare funding bill — which would expand state-subsidized daycare for young children — has been a flashpoint in coalition negotiations for weeks, as The Zioneer reported on June 10 (19:53 Jerusalem) when UTJ expressed anger over a delayed vote that week. The coalition's slim 13-vote gap means even a handful of defections can sink a vote. The coalition whip, MK Ofir Katz, stated earlier this week (June 10, 17:20) that even if all Arab MKs vote no, the coalition retains a three-vote majority.
What remains open is whether the coalition's internal efforts succeed in rounding up the votes needed for the daycare bill, and whether UTJ will make good on its threat to block all other coalition legislation if it does not pass.
3 developments
- StrongUTJ furious as coalition delays daycare funding vote; Gafni lashes out at Likud
- StrongShas and UTJ halt coalition voting in Knesset over daycare bill delay
- StrongDaycare subsidy bill will not be brought to a vote this week
- DevelopingCoalition whip: Knesset majority holds even if all Arab MKs vote no
Source and signal
- Internal intake