MK Moshe Gafni told the Knesset Committee on Monday that he is 'fed up with unfulfilled promises' and demanded a clear commitment from coalition members to advance and pass the Torah Study Basic Law before deliberations begin, warning he will not 'be humiliated again.'
MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) delivered a sharp ultimatum to the coalition on Monday during a Knesset Committee meeting convened to discuss the Torah Study Basic Law, which already passed a preliminary reading. 'I am fed up with promises in this Knesset term,' Gafni said. 'Therefore, if the committee approves transferring the bill from the Constitution Committee to the Knesset Committee, I demand to know — as the bill's initiator, before deliberations even begin — whether you intend to advance and pass it. I am telling you unequivocally: I do not intend to be humiliated again. I have had enough of unfulfilled promises.'
The remarks come after a fraught legislative process. As The Zioneer reported, Prime Minister Netanyahu met Gafni earlier this month to secure votes; the ministerial committee later approved the bill, and it passed its preliminary Knesset vote. However, MK Simcha Rothman refused to hold hearings in the Constitution Committee, forcing the coalition to transfer the bill to the Knesset Committee — a move journalist Daphna Liel (N12) called a 'legal flaw.' Gafni's warning signals deepening coalition tensions: he has previously threatened to block other legislation if the daycare law for yeshiva students is delayed.
It remains unclear whether the coalition can deliver a majority for the bill in its current form, especially after MK Benny Gantz voted against it in the preliminary reading, calling it 'a cover for draft dodging.'
2 developments
- StrongNetanyahu meets Gafni to secure votes for Torah Study Basic Law
- StrongShas leader Deri demands Torah Study Basic Law vote as condition for coalition support
- DevelopingChanges to Torah Study Basic Law being negotiated after preliminary vote
- StrongMinisterial committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; Haredi parties call it merely declarative without equal-status clause
Source and signal
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