On shaky ground: Eisenkot slams PM leadership, Gafni threatens leaving gov’t, Netanyahu, Lapid meet

Cabinet member and National Unity Party (NUP) MK Gadi Eisenkot attacked Netanyahu on Wednesday over his handling of the truth and his performance on Iran and Saudi Arabia.

He said that under Netanyahu’s leadership the government had failed to govern properly and failed to bring security back for the public.

Likud quickly hit back at Eisenkot, claiming that he and Benny Gantz, head of NUP, were looking for excuses to “end the war without achieving its goals” and topple the government. Gantz announced on May 18 that Netanyahu had until June 8 to meet several conditions, or he and his party would withdraw from the government.

“Instead of engaging in the pursuit of victory, they are engaging in petty politics,” Likud said, according to Israeli media.

National Unity hit back, accusing him of failing to bring achievements on the battlefield and wasting his time on maneuvering in a political minefield instead of a real one. “Wars are not won with slogans. The eternal people [Jewish people] are not afraid of the long journey.”

Labor Party MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv joined the attack on the government, harshly criticizing Netanyahu’s response, saying “His words give further validity to the feeling of the majority of the Israeli public. Netanyahu is not qualified to lead the State of Israel at this complex time, and his continued rule constitutes a security, political, and economic danger.” He called on the NUP to withdraw from the government and called for elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with opposition leader and Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid on Wednesday, according to Israeli media.

The meeting lasted about 40 minutes and was attended by military secretary Roman Goffman, who was present throughout.

Deprivation and discrimination

The coalition suffered another attack after the United Torah Judaism Chairman, Moshe Gafni, threatened that he would leave the government if issues regarding funding for Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) education were not dealt with.

Gafni took to the Knesset plenum to discuss the case of a kindergarten teacher in the North who was not receiving a salary for her work, he claimed that this was a result of her status as a Haredi kindergarten teacher.

Gafni claimed that secular teachers in Safed and Ma’alot had received their salaries but that this Haredi educator in Kiryat Shmona had received nothing despite qualifying.

“I have to say that there is deprivation on deprivation, discrimination on discrimination, it’s wrong.”

“The education system isn’t functioning in the North, yet the kindergarten teacher in Safed and the kindergarten teacher in Ma’alot received a salary. Only if the kindergarten teacher is Haredi – she doesn’t receive a salary, the secular Knesset members disappointed me,” he said on the Knesset plenum.

“I have been in the Knesset for many, many years and I was taught that everyone should receive the same salary, that there should be equality. Why does someone who lives and works in Kiryat Shmona with a low salary [not receive the same treatment]?”.

“Why doesn’t this kindergarten teacher who teaches the children get the same salary,” he said

Following this speech, Gafni threatened to quit the coalition if these issues were not dealt with.

Several officials in the Treasury Department told Israel Hayom that Gafni was drumming up support among his Haredi base because the issue he raised had actually been resolved the night before in a committee meeting.

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