Tensions are rising inside the coalition, especially between Yahadut Hatorah and Bayit Leumi.

With a narrow coalition that enjoys a one-seat majority, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is continuing efforts to expand the coalition but has been unsuccessful to date. Realizing the mounting tensions from within, a meeting has been called for Wednesday, 4 Teves at 16:00, in the Prime Minister’s Office. Participants will include Naftali Bennet, Yaakov Litzman, Aryeh Deri and Moshe Gafne. The parties hope to resolve the deadlock surrounding budgeting for yeshiva students and the Jewish Settlement Division

Earlier in the day Deri met with Yahadut Hatorah leaders in the hope of reaching a unified chareidi position against Bayit Yehudi, the dati leumi party. Deri told the press during the early afternoon hours that the chareidim will not permit the continued discrimination against chareidi institutions.

From the dati leumi perspective, Gafne, in his capacity as chairman of the Knesset Finance Committee, is working to torpedo Settlement Division funding. On Tuesday, 3 Teves, Gafne and Bayit Yehudi MK Betzalel Smotrich got into a shouting match during a Finance Committee session. Smotrich accused Gafne of making funding for the Settlement Division contingent on support for chareidi institutions.

Just last week, Smotrich called Gafne a “liar” for accusing the dati leumi party of steeling funding from chareidi institutions.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)