Two of the biggest opponents in today’s Knesset are former Minister Yaakov Litzman and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapind. Due to the ongoing dispute between the two men, Litman refuses to speak to Lapid, even to say hello.

Lapid was the person to file a formal complaint with the High Court of Justice against Litzman running the Heath Ministry as a Deputy Minister instead of Minister. When the High Court decided that Lapid was right, the Council of Sages of Agudat Yisrael held a special meeting and allowed, for the first time in history, a member of the UTJ to take the position of a Minister with all that role includes.

Litzman in return derided Lapid who had wanted to oust him from his position by forcing him to resign as a Deputy Minister in charge of the Health Department. While in the end, Litzman enjoyed a salary increase as Minister after the Gerer Rebbe okayed his appointment. Eventually, the party’s spiritual leader asked Litzman to step down due to his ministerial involvement with the government agreeing to desecrate the Shabbos.

On Sunday night, following the agreement reached between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Charedi parties regarding the status quo, Lapid launched another salvo at Litzman. “Once again there deals being made. Once again behind-the-scenes agreements. The High Court of Justice already determined that there is no such thing as a Deputy Minister running a Ministry with the same authority as a Minister. But due to the hysteria and panic caused by the Charedi parties, Netanyahu is again bending the law. The High Court already determined that the Prime Minister cannot run the Health Ministry together with all of his other positions. A Full-Time Minister is required to do so. This wasn’t a legal decision against the Chareidim, it was a legal decision to help the people of Israel.”

Lapid carried on: “The people of Israel deserve the best health care system that the government can provide. This is an issue of life and death. It is a complicated system that requires a full-time minister, and not some political back-room deals. Now the government wants to compound these back-room deals at the expense of its citizens. This is not how a country should be run.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)