Incriminating Document Reveals Former Gov’t Offered Chareidi MKs NIS 1B for Support of Budget

Leaders of the opposition often attack Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the budget he approved for the chareidi factions, a budget centered on correcting injustice in chareidi education. But a document revealed Monday night by Kan News indicates that the former government led by Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman offered only two MKs, Rabbi Meir Porush and Rabbi Yisrael Eichler a budget of one billion shekels – including the budget for chareidi educational institutions – in return for supporting the state budget.

The evidence is an official document prepared by the Budget Division of the Finance Ministry to be sent to MKs as a memorandum. An announcement to be delivered before the vote would have stated: “Prior to the approval of the said budget laws for their second and third reading, I would like to update that a few hours ago a verbal oral agreement was reached with MKs on the manner of voting on the budget.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid’s office stated: “We are not aware of any such document, and as far as we know, there was no agreement with the chareidi parties on budget support in exchange for budgets.”

Lieberman’s office stated: “The former finance minister approved transferring unique budgets exclusively to programs that would integrate the chareidim in the labor market. The former minister opposed the entry of Shas and United Torah Judaism into the government.”