Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in light of the demands made by haredi politicians for additional funds for haredi schools in the upcoming budget, telling N12 on Sunday morning that Netanyahu "deserves to suffer in hell every day."
"I agreed to give a lot of money - in exchange for core studies," said Liberman. "What Netanyahu did, and for this, he deserves to suffer in hell every day, he took those people and said: 'I'll give you the same funds without needing to study core studies. I want to leave you in poverty, without education, so that you will suffer.' The man is ready to sell all values in exchange for power."
"I agreed to give NIS 6,000 per student per year for full core studies. Immediately Netanyahu stood up to those people and said: 'You don't need to study core studies, you will get the same money.' The fact that Netanyahu prevented Israeli children from studying core studies is intolerable and unforgivable."
Liberman added that he believes that the United Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit parties will get the funds they're demanding "through a back door."
Coalitions tensions rise as factions demand additional budgets
The comments from the former finance minister come as the Agudat Yisrael Hassidic faction in the United Torah Judaism party demands over NIS 600 million in retroactive funding for its school systems since the beginning of 2023. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has reportedly threatened to resign if the demand is met.
The Otzma Yehudit party has also demanded that the Development of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience Ministry headed by Otzma's Yizhak Wasserlauf receive funding equal to that of National Missions Minister MK Orit Struk.
Both parties have reportedly threatened to vote against the budget if their demands are not met. If the budget fails to pass by May 29, the government will collapse and Israel will be sent to another round of elections.