Labor's Paz-Pines blasts party, says "they think they have veto power and the coalition in their pocket."
By JPOST.COM STAFFpaz pines 298 aj(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
"Shas has decided to wear its 'threatening-tuxedo' permanently, that is, Shas threatens to leave the coalition not twice every week but twice each day," MK Ophir Paz-Pines blasted the religious right-leaning coalition partner of his own Labor party.
"Sometimes I think, maybe, if there's no snow in Jerusalem next week, they might leave the government. They threaten over anything, it doesn't matter...the problem for Labor is [that it stays] in a coalition which is under a constant downpour of threats from Shas and Kadima is always surrendering to Shas's every whim and threat.
"Shas feels it has veto power over all major decisions...acts as if the coalition is in its pocket and constantly blackmails Kadima for its own interest," Paz-Pines said.
On Thursday, Industry Trade and Labor Minister and Shas Chairman Eli Yishai threatened to pull out of the government following the publication of the National Insurance Institute (NII) poverty report, which showed that the government was not doing enough to care for the plight of poor children.
"Shas will not remain in a government that remains closefisted towards the children of Israel," Yishai said. "What more needs to happen; how many more poverty reports need to come out until they understand that the only way to escape poverty is to reinstate welfare stipends."
Yishai's threat from Thursday seemed somewhat enigmatic in light of the fact that overall the report stated that reforms the government had made to welfare payments were indeed just beginning to be reflected in reality on the ground. the NII predicted the coming years would show significant economic improvement in the lower classes.
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