Religious Affairs Minister Michael Malkieli stated on Monday morning that his party, Shas, is closely aligned with Degel Hatorah, a faction that constitutes half of the United Torah Judaism party.
“There is a connection between the homes of the Torah sages, and in 99% of cases, we vote together,” he told Kol Barama Radio.
Malkieli took aim at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, accusing her of deliberately complicating the passage of the Draft Law. He argued that her involvement has created unnecessary obstacles in the legislative process.
“If the Draft Law were handled as every other law, then we could reach agreements,” he explained. “There are people who wish that a law should not pass.”
Commenting on Construction and Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf’s warning that he would leave the government if the Draft Law fails, Malkieli suggested that walking away is the simpler option.
“The easiest thing to do is to give up and join the opposition and give speeches,” he said. However, he clarified, “If that is what his rabbonim tell him, then he needs to leave.”
Malkieli also emphasized that the charedi parties have accomplished a great deal as part of the current coalition. He asserted that they faced a choice: either to continue the fight from within or to withdraw and lose influence. “When faced with the choice of whether to continue fighting from within and giving up, we chose to stay and fight,” he said.
Touching on the recent revocation of daycare subsidies for families of yeshiva students, Malkieli urged daycare providers to continue accommodating yeshiva families while a resolution is sought. He reminded them of the financial support they received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a feeling among the public that we are not doing enough,” he acknowledged. “I tell the public that they need to understand that the charedi representation is facing difficulties the likes of which we have not seen for years…. It is not laziness, the Attorney General is preventing us from acting on a lot of things.”
{Matzav.com Israel}