Mansour Abbas, the chairman of the Islamist Ra’am party which is part of Bennett’s coalition, requested to transfer NIS 100 million of the funds he received in coalition agreements to the Chareidi sector, Kan News reported on Monday.

Abbas explained to coalition officials that he feels an alliance with the Chareidim since, like the Arab sector, it is considered a disadvantaged sector of Israeli society.

Of course, Abbas may also be interested in maintaining political ties with the Chareidi parties and some think he is trying to divert attention from a recent incriminating report about his party.

Abbas’s move follows a speech by UTJ chairman Moshe Gafni last week during a Knesset session chaired by Abbas. Gafni took the opportunity to compare the struggles of Chareidi society to Arab society and warned Abbas that based on his own experience in the past regarding funds promised to the Chareidi sector he may not see a shekel of the money promised to him by the coalition

“The Israeli culture only recognizes mainstream Israeli culture,” Gafni said. “No one has any desire to assist anyone who is a bit different, to help them, their children, their neighborhoods, their cities. They promise you money and say; ‘True, there’s great injustice in the Arab sector, we promise you NIS 53 billion. I’m not sure you’ll receive one shekel.”

Following Gafni’s speech, he and Abbas spoke privately for an extended period of time. Abbas later told other Chareidi MKs that “Gafni’s speech touched my heart.”

In response to Abbas’s offer, UTJ MK Yaakov Asher turned it down and slammed the mmebers of the coalition in a speech from the Knesset plenum on Monday night, saying: “Something drastic happened in Israel today. On this day, Yamina members need to put on masks – not just over their noses and mouths but over their whole faces – if today, Ra’am chairman Abbas, your partner in the government, says that his compassion was kindled due to what you’re doing to your Jewish brothers – those with the kipos and payos – and he issues a press release, like a philanthropist, swearing to ‘donate’ NIS 100 million to the Chareidim from his coaliton funds.”

“How is it that Abbas feels what you don’t feel over these past months when children and working mothers are being stomped on just because they’re religious and davka Abbas is the one that requests to take care of them?”

“So first of all, I’ll tell him ‘No thanks.’ But if he wants to donate to some organization, I suggest that instead of the Assistance 48 Association, he donate to Kupas HaIr – they also take care of widows and orphans.”

“Abbas told me: ‘I’m sensitive to disadvantaged societies,'” Asher continued. “He’s sensitive to the disadvantaged and you’re sensitive to Lieberman. You can’t manage to take yourselves in hand and do what’s necessary!”

“What abyss have we reached that Mansour Abbas requests to donate to us? I’m not saying this as a joke, my heart bleeds – how did we fall to this? My Jewish brothers – definitely the ones with kippos on your heads – shame on you that you’ve descended to this.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)