From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
Gantz pans Netanyahu for pressing local leaders to back rabbis bill amid war
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
National Unity leader Benny Gantz slams Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for soliciting support tonight from the heads of local authorities for a controversial bill regulating the appointment of municipal rabbis.
“It took me two months to convince the prime minister to summon the heads of authorities from the south and the north to discuss the needs of the residents during the war,” he tweets.
“It took him almost eight months to approve the plan to support the residents of the north. The meeting tonight with the aim of convincing heads of authorities to support the municipal rabbis law is a violation of the basic trust between the state and its residents. This is not how you run a war.”
His comments come after reports emerged that Netanyahu invited the heads of local authorities for an impromptu meeting on the bill, seeking their support as it faces fierce opposition from members of his coalition.
