The Knesset plenum advanced in its preliminary reading on Wednesday a bill that aims to change the eligibility criteria for daycare subsidies to be based solely on a mother’s income, in a move which critics argue will encourage state subsidies for parents of draft evaders amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.
The bill passed by a margin of 44-37 after a heated plenum session. The legislation titled, Law on Admission of a Child to a Daycare Center and State Participation in Tuition Costs, was sponsored by MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) and a group of additional haredi lawmakers.
The bill will now be brought to the Knesset House Committee for debate and still must pass three more readings in the plenum to become law.
Ahead of the vote, Gafni had reportedly threatened to vote with the opposition on its bills to establish a state commission of inquiry into government failures on October 7 to ensure that the coalition would vote in favor of the daycare subsidies legislation. The coalition has repeatedly blocked such a probe into government failures during the attacks.
The opposition brought the October 7 probe bills forward with the aim of them being able to pass due to the haredi parties' potential support.
However, the plenum’s agenda was then rearranged so that the daycare subsidies bill would be voted on ahead of the state commission of inquiry bills. Subsequently, the opposition removed all the October 7 probe bills from the agenda after the daycare subsidies bill passed.
Movement for Quality of Government in Israel criticzes passage of the bill
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel sharply criticized the passage of the daycare subsidies bill, accusing the haredi parties of carrying out a political deal with the coalition that used bereaved families of the October 7 massacre as leverage.
“It is impossible to ignore the cynical deal that stood behind the [daycare subsidies] bill’s approval,” the organization stated.
"The coalition agreed to finance, with public funds, haredim who do not enlist in the military, and in return, the haredi parties prevented the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 disaster.”
“In other words, the pain of the bereaved families was used as a bargaining chip in favor of funding draft evasion,” the statement added.
The Movement for Quality Government further stated that the purpose of the daycare subsidies bill was to circumvent the High Court ruling regarding the enlistment of haredim, and “to continue granting economic benefits to those who refuse to share the burden.”
Bill may provide subsidies to children of draft dodgers
The daycare subsidy bill proposes that only the mother’s employment or educational status be considered when determining subsidy eligibility for a daycare center, without taking the father’s employment status into account. This would allow children of haredi men who do not serve in the IDF and are unemployed to receive daycare subsidies.
The vote on the bill comes amid the crisis in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which led the haredi parties - Shas and United Torah Judaism - to push for the Knesset’s dissolution, which passed in its preliminary reading last week.
Despite tensions between the haredi parties and the coalition, lawmakers from Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party voted in favor of the bill.
Haredi lawmakers celebrated in the plenum after it passed, sparking outrage from the opposition. Shas party leader Arye Deri arrived to vote in favor of the legislation.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, also voted in favor of the bill.
Opposition members criticize the legislation
MK Dan Illouz (Likud) voted against it. Illouz is a vocal critic of the controversial haredi draft advanced by the coalition.
Following the passage of the daycare subsidies bill, MK Efrat Rayten (the Democrats) sharply criticized the legislation.
“At a time when the north is under fire and soldiers are being killed almost daily by drone attacks, the coalition is busy with corrupt legislation designed to bypass the High Court ruling in order to subsidize daycare centers for families of draft evaders in the haredi sector. This is what they choose to do during wartime,” she said.
“In defiance of court rulings. Without any shame. On the contrary, with cheers. This toxic coalition has once again proven that all it cares about is political survival. This is the swan song of the worst government in the country’s history,” she added.
Later in the day, Gafni released a statement saying that his Degel HaTorah faction would no longer cooperate with the Israel Police following arrests of haredi draft evaders.
“Following the intervention of the Israel Police in the arrest of young men and yeshiva students studying Torah, and so that we will not be complicit in harming the Holy Torah and its students, I request that we immediately cease cooperation with police representatives, including municipal policing, in all local authorities throughout the country, until further notice,” Gafni wrote in a letter to Degel HaTorah representatives.
Opposition politicians sharply criticized Gafni’s refusal to cooperate with the police, calling it an expression of anarchism and encouragement of draft evasion.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid irate over MK statement
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said that “Gafni’s statement calling for anarchy across the State of Israel is further proof of why it is forbidden to cooperate with the haredi parties.
“Their attempts to undermine the very existence of the State of Israel are disgraceful. They should sit in the opposition.”
Yahsar! Party leader Gadi Eisenkot also sharply criticized Gafni’s instruction, calling it “a spit in the face of Israel Police officers, a violation of the rule of law, and a call for anarchy that has no place in a law-abiding state. The State of Israel has one law and one police force, and they apply to everyone.”
Eisenkot held a meeting with Gafni last week, which has led to criticism and reports of potential deals between him and the haredi parties.
Opposition leaders have vowed not to sit in a coalition with the haredi parties after the upcoming elections, currently scheduled to take place no later than October 27.