Israeli Finance Ministry Minister and member of the Security Cabinet Ze’ev Elkin warned on Tuesday night that continued opposition by chareidi parties to the draft law could lead to harsher outcomes for the chareidi public and destabilize the coalition, including the risk of elections without an approved state budget. Speaking in an interview on the HaMahadura HaMerkazit program, Elkin argued that internal resistance—particularly by the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction—could make passage of the legislation impossible and ultimately harm the very communities seeking to block it.

Addressing reports of quiet contacts between Naftali Bennett and chareidi figures, Elkin said such maneuvering was unsurprising but misguided. “In politics, anything can happen,” he said, adding that some in the chareidi street are misreading the situation. “There are elements in the chareidi public who oppose the current version of the law and are hoping that maybe they’ll get more from Bennett. I think they are deluding themselves. As someone who has been following the draft law for a long time, I see the same pattern repeat itself: a proposal is put on the table, certain factions reject it in the hope of something better, time passes, and then they say, ‘Too bad we didn’t agree back then,’ because the new proposals are worse. This is a cycle that has been repeating itself since 2012.”

Elkin directed pointed criticism at the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction, warning that its stance could stall the process entirely. “I’m afraid that this time as well Agudas Yisroel is making the same mistake,” he said. “Its opposition makes it impossible to pass the law, because no one in the coalition wants to be someone else’s Shabbos goy.”

Turning to the prospect of the government collapsing before the state budget is approved, Elkin issued a stark warning to chareidi representatives. “Let’s say the draft law isn’t passed and we go to elections—does it make sense to go to elections without a budget?” he asked. “I think that would be a very big mistake. It would be an economically ‘dead year.’ The first to be hurt by that would be the chareidi public, because a large portion of its funding is not in the base budget. Under a continuing budget of one-twelfth, that money won’t be transferred. It would be a kind of ‘self-inflicted punishment.’ If I were advising them, I would recommend: first approve a budget, and then go to elections.”

On security matters, Elkin addressed American demands to disarm Hamas as part of President Donald Trump’s plan, expressing doubt that diplomatic avenues alone would succeed. “Trump said it correctly: either it happens the easy way, or the hard way,” Elkin said. “The hard and bad way is clearly only the IDF, because no one else will do this job for us. I’m skeptical that diplomatic moves will help, and therefore the ball will return to the IDF.”

At the same time, Elkin pointed to what he described as significant achievements on the ground. “We defeated Hamas militarily,” he said. “They no longer have a shared border with Egypt, we have control over the Philadelphi Corridor, and therefore their ability to rebuild their strength is very limited.”

In closing, Elkin also touched on the brewing coalition crisis surrounding the dairy reform, urging all sides to reach a compromise that balances lowering the cost of living with protecting farmers in Israel’s periphery and safeguarding the country’s food security.

{Matzav.com}