Israel’s political system was thrown into turmoil Wednesday following a report that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu asked senior chareidi party officials to remove the draft law from the agenda and postpone its advancement until after the elections.

The report triggered swift and sharp reactions. In response, the office of Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni quickly issued a denial, insisting the report “never happened.” However, that immediate dismissal raised eyebrows among political observers, as the original publication did not attribute a direct quote to Gafni, prompting questions about how he could so definitively reject the claim.

Political insiders suggested that Gafni may have been aware of the discussions through internal channels and moved quickly to deny the report before it became clear who had been approached or how the information was leaked. In any case, the denial itself only intensified the uncertainty surrounding the behind-the-scenes developments.

Throughout the day, figures within the chareidi parties and those close to the prime minister reportedly attempted to identify the source of the leak, but no clear answer had emerged.

Meanwhile, United Torah Judaism chairman and Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf did not echo the denial and instead launched a direct attack on Netanyahu. Responding to the report, he said: “The truth has come out. As I have said from the beginning, Netanyahu has no and never had any intention of honoring the coalition agreement and the commitments to the chareidi parties.”

Strong remarks were also heard from within the government. Minister Shlomo Karhi said in an interview with Kol Berama radio that the draft law must be passed “the way we want,” even if it leads to a confrontation with the High Court. He added: “The legal advisory system is trying to thwart and interfere with our policy; the golem must return to its natural place and to the dust.”

{Matzav.com}