Gafni says a proposed unity government was ‘dropped’

By Sam Sokol 16 September 2024, 12:56 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Knesset Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni tells MKs that there was a proposal on the table for a unity government but it is no longer extant.

Addressing a hearing on amending the 2024 state budget, the senior ultra-Orthodox lawmaker states that “there was a proposal for a unity government [but] it was dropped.”

Responding to relatives of Israelis being held in Gaza demanding that he use his leverage in the coalition to demand a hostage deal as a condition for the government’s continued stability, he replies that he is in favor of an agreement.

His comments come on the heels of a similar remark by Labor and Welfare Committee Chair MK Eichler, who said that the position of their United Torah Judaism party “is a deep commitment to the mitzvah of redeeming captives.”