A senior Agudat Yisrael official within United Torah Judaism warned Monday evening that if Prime Minister Netanyahu does not advance the daycare funding bill, the party will demand a vote on dissolving the Knesset this Wednesday. The threat escalates the coalition standoff reported earlier today, when Shas and UTJ halted coalition voting until the bill is brought to the agenda.
United Torah Judaism escalated its coalition standoff with Likud Monday evening, issuing a direct ultimatum to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: advance the daycare funding bill (חוק המעונות) or face a Knesset dissolution vote on Wednesday.
A senior Agudat Yisrael official told Eli Hirshman of Yedioth Aharonoth that the party demands the bill be brought to a vote this week, and if prevented, will move to dissolve the Knesset on Wednesday. The threat follows hours of mounting pressure earlier Monday: at 15:51 Jerusalem, Shas and UTJ announced they would halt voting on all coalition legislation until the daycare bill is brought to the agenda, as The Zioneer reported. Coalition chair MK Ofir Katz had told Haredi representatives Monday morning that he lacked a majority to pass the bill and would not bring it to a vote.
The daycare bill, which would expand state-funded daycare for young children including yeshiva students, has been a central coalition demand from Haredi parties. Earlier this week, MK Moshe Gafni confronted senior coalition officials over a delayed vote, and opposition MKs had sought to postpone debate. The ultimatum raises the stakes sharply: if UTJ follows through Wednesday, the coalition's stability will face its most serious test in weeks.
- StrongShas and UTJ halt coalition voting in Knesset over daycare bill delay
- StrongUTJ furious as coalition delays daycare funding vote; Gafni lashes out at Likud
- StrongCoalition chair again tells Haredi MKs: no majority for daycare bill today
- DevelopingMK Asher pulls banking bill from Knesset to force vote on daycare legislation
Source and signal
- Internal intake