United Torah Judaism (UTJ), Shas and Religious Zionist demanded the budget for full time kollel students to be raised to NIS 1,318 and the budget for yeshiva students to be NIS 750 per month during coalition negotiations with the Likud, almost doubling the current budget, Walla reported on Friday.
This will increase the current budget from NIS 1.3 billion a year to NIS 2.3 to 2.5 billion a year. The Likud agreed in principle to the demand, but the requested increase will not move forward before the approval of the next budget in the 25th Knesset and not before the swearing in of the new government.
Even compared to the highest budget during the government led by Likud head Benjamin Netanyahu in 2015, this will constitute an increase of NIS 450 per full time kollel students and NIS 270 per yeshiva student.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett said that the requested budget increase is "a grave economic and moral error that will harm ultra-Orthodox youth, the public's attitude to the religious, and the future of Israel."
"A grave economic and moral error that will harm ultra-Orthodox youth, the public's attitude to the religious, and the future of Israel."
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett
Outgoing finance minister Avigdor Lieberman criticized the parties' demand, saying that "the order of priorities is reversed. As Minister of Finance, I increased the income of IDF soldiers by 50%, on the other hand, the emerging government will double the income of full time kollel students, and that's the whole story," he wrote on his Twitter account.
"Even from the opposition, we will work for those who serve in the IDF, serve in the reserves, work and pay taxes."
סדר עדיפויות הפוך. כשר אוצר הגדלתי את ההכנסה של חיילי צה״ל ב-50%, מנגד הממשלה המתגבשת תכפיל את ההכנסה של האברכים וזה כל הסיפור. גם מתוך האופוזיציה נפעל למען אלו שמשרתים בצה״ל, עושים מילואים, עובדים ומשלמים מסים. https://t.co/5h4gutLo4a
— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) November 10, 2022
Likud and the representatives of UTJ held a marathon of negotiations late into Thursday night, concluding the talks at around 3 a.m - resuming negotiations later in the day.
The talks are expected to continue until Friday evening, and there may be additional negotiation meetings "according to developments," according to the Likud.
Coalition negotiations in full swing
Shas' negotiating team met with Likud MK Yariv Levin and other representatives of the Likud at the party's headquarters on Thursday for coalition negotiations, after Religious Zionist Party chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich and representatives of UTJ began holding similar meetings with the Likud on Wednesday.
UTJ reported "significant" advances in talks on Wednesday. The party is expected to receive the Construction and Housing Ministry, as well as chairmanship of the Knesset Finance and Law committees, among other positions.
Netanyahu wants to swear in a government as early as Wednesday with preliminary agreements, which will be expanded upon later, according to Channel 12.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.