Coalition’s left-wing accuses Sa’ar of creating ‘alibi’ for government’s collapse

Left-wing officials in the coalition accuse Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar of creating an “alibi” for the government’s collapse following a several votes the coalition lost earlier in the day on bills to raise the minimum wage, reports say.

According to the Kan public broadcaster and the Ynet news site, lawmakers from the Meretz and Labor parties were originally allowed by Sa’ar to be absent from the vote, but he walked back on that decision shortly ahead of time.

Sources told Kan that Sa’ar did this in order to then blame them for letting the bills, which were tabled by the opposition, to pass and create an “alibi” for dissolving the government.

“Gideon Sa’ar knew about the coalition’s decision and decided to oppose it just seconds before the vote. He is trying to create chaos in the coalition,” a coalition source tells Ynet.

Sources within Sa’ar’s New Hope however tell Ynet that there was no such agreement, accusing the coalition’s left-wing parties of “systematically acting in a populist and irresponsible way against the government’s decisions.”