Following a meeting on Sunday between Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and Meretz MK Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, Zoabi announced that she is returning to the coalition, just four days after she announced her resignation.
Zoabi was accompanied to the meeting by Nazareth mayor Ali Salam and a number of other Arab mayors. Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Frej, who was also at the meeting, said that the Arab sector is working “to turn this crisis into an opportunity to strengthen the government’s commitment to the Arab community.”
After the meeting, Salam said in a radio interview that “thanks to Zoabi, every Arab mayor is receiving NIS 200 million.”
Chareidi reporter Yisrael Cohen responded to the report by stating: “What is this if not bribery, which turns Lapid into the most corrupt politician in Israel.”
It is unknown at this time what else the coalition promised Zoabi in exchange for her return.
The Likud party responded to the news by saying: “What did Bennett and Lapid promise and how many millions did they give to MK Zoabi in exchange for the survival of their weak and fraudulent government?”
“Bennett and Lapid are giving NIS 50 billion to Mansour Abbas, hundreds of millions to the Joint List, and now millions more to Zoabi. A government that depends on haters of Israel and supporters of terrorism cannot protect the citizens of Israel, is unable to take care of our soldiers, and does not fight for the Jewish character of the state.”
Zoabi claimed that she was leaving the coalition due to the “unbearable police violence toward worshippers at Har HaBayis and at the funeral of Al Jazeera reporter Shereen Abu-Aklah.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
“Chareidi reporter Yisrael Cohen responded to the report by stating: “What is this if not bribery, which turns Lapid into the most corrupt politician in Israel.”
Netanyahu gave much more to Charedi parties for the same reason, to be part of the coalition. What kind of hypocrisy is this? Everyone knows that is the way a coalition is formed. The main demand is always money. Even Chilul Shabos or other chareidi concerns are most of the time solved with money! Even now with this so called terrible leftist government you can rest assured if Bennet would offer a nice amount of money they would rush to enter the coalition! its just a matter of how much Bennet is willing to give. If the UTG would get their price all criticism would stop and everything would be explained away.
Whoever didn’t predict this is a fool. Blackmail is the name of the game! Sad event!
And imagine if a religious guy did something I guess it would all go crazy! What a bunch of disgusting lowlife they could do whatever they want but no one else can never fair game with them.
But we know Hashem is running the world and they’re all going to fall on their face is very soon
Kudos to MK Zoabi for engaging in the same type of “extortion” for the benefit of her constituents that the UTJ and Agudah MKs have successfully used on behalf of their mosdos in right wing coalitions for the past decade.
Disgusting
“The Likud party responded to the news by saying: “What did Bennett and Lapid promise and how many millions did they give to MK Zoabi in exchange for the survival of their weak and fraudulent government?””
Zionism itself is a fraud, on every level. This particular collection of politicians does not change that.
This article seems to state that funds are being given directly to public officials for their personal use. Is that what is going on? I don’t think so, but I would like the article to be more clear.
I’m coming after 7 posted comments before me!
It’s one thing for the government to give money to Yidden and a whole different thing when the money is given to buy an arab party’s allegiance. This is, I thought, a Jewish state.
The money will be directed to local arab government authorities in response to chronic under funding of their infrastructure and social service programs (or at least that is what the Israeli media reported). It is NOT going to individual mayors for their personal use, although they typically control how funds in their districts are allocated.