The cabinet on Sunday morning 29 Kislev, after much effort, approved the initiative that demands that seven percent of public service jobs will be exclusively for chareidim.

The purpose of the decision is to encourage chareidi integration in the public sector and to help members of the chareidi public integrate into the employment market. To date, the percentage of chareidim in the public sector is very low, so that it does not reflect the real number of the population, in addition to the fact that many who applied for public sector jobs were discriminated against because they were chareidim.

During the weekly cabinet meeting, Tourism Minister (Likud) Yariv Levin expressed opposition and demanded that within seven percent of the vote, those who served in the IDF should have priority for the public service jobs.

Kikar Shabbos News reports that Levin’s opposition was at the behest of Prime Minister Netanyahu, so that there would be no additional achievements for the chareidi parties after the “Supermarket Law.” A coalition official explains that there is a fear that if the chareidim are too successful, the result will be increased popularity for Yair Lapid” and his Yesh Atid party.

Minister Deri vehemently opposed Levine’s amendment and said that it was proper to discriminate chareidim who do not serve in the army. In the end, Levin’s demand fell and the proposal was approved.

Now, with the approval of the government’s decision, a new dispute has emerged about the credit.

Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said, “I am happy, I promised this in the election campaign, and this is what we hope for … Today we have made a historic move in the government and approved a dramatic decision that will affect the lives of thousands of chareidi academics. From now on, it will be easier, and it will be good for them and good for the Israeli economy. ”

On the other hand, Knesset Finance Committee Chairman MK Moshe Gafni said, “These regulations are required to lead to the implementation of the law that we have recently enacted on affirmative action for the chareidi tzibur. The important law in practice, so that many chareidim who are looking for work, will be able to find it in a proper way. ”

In any event, the law appears to have been approved by the two parties, more or less, but it is not inconceivable that additional Knesset members will try to take the credit.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)