Cabinet member and National Unity Party (NUP) lawmaker Gadi Eisenkot on Wednesday criticized Netanyahu's handling of the truth and his dealings with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
He said the government under Netanyahu's leadership had failed to govern properly and restore safety to its people.
Likud quickly hit back at Eisenkot, claiming that he and NUP leader Benny Gantz were “ending the war without achieving their objectives” and were looking for a pretext to topple the government. On May 18, Gantz announced to Netanyahu that he and his party would withdraw from the government unless he met several conditions by June 8.
“Instead of pursuing victory, they are engaged in petty politics,” Likud said, according to Israeli media.
The National Unity Party hit back, accusing him of failing to deliver on the battlefield and wasting his time maneuvering in a political minefield rather than a real one. “Wars are not won with slogans. The eternal people are the ones who win,” he said. [Jewish people] I am not afraid of a long journey.”
According to Israeli media, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with opposition leader and Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid.
The meeting lasted about 40 minutes, and Military Secretary Roman Govman was present throughout the meeting.
Deprivation and discrimination
The coalition came under renewed attack after Moshe Gafni, chairman of United Torah Judaism, threatened to leave the government if issues over funding for ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) education were not resolved.
Gafni addressed the Knesset plenary session about a kindergarten teacher in the north who was not receiving payment for her work, claiming that this was a result of her status as a Haredi kindergarten teacher.
Gafni claimed that while secular teachers in Safed and Ma'arot received their salaries, the Haredi educator in Kiryat Shmona received nothing despite being qualified.
“I have to say it's wrong to say that poverty is piled on top of poverty and discrimination is piled on top of discrimination.”
“The education system is not functioning in the north, but kindergarten teachers in Safed and kindergarten teachers in Ma'alot get their salaries. Only if the kindergarten teacher is Haredi does he not get his salary. The secular Knesset members have let me down,” he told the Knesset plenary session.
“I've been in the Knesset for many years and I've been taught that everyone should get the same salary and there should be equality. Why is it that someone is living and working in Kiryat Shmona for a low wage? [not receive the same treatment]”.”
“Why can't kindergarten teachers who teach children get the same salary?” he said.
After the speech, Gafni threatened to leave the coalition government if these issues were not resolved.
Several Treasury Department officials said Israel Hayom Gafni was garnering support among his Haredi supporters because the issues he raised had in fact been resolved at the committee meeting the night before.
