Lapid slams coalition after defeat of bill requiring daycares to have protected spaces

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party slams the coalition after a bill requiring daycare centers to have protected spaces on their premises is defeated 33-51 in the Knesset plenum.

The legislation, advanced by Yesh Atid MK Naor Shiri among others, would require the installation of protected spaces in daycare centers for toddlers as a condition for obtaining an operating license. The bill’s explanatory notes state that most such centers remain unprotected and say that its passage would “contribute to the sense of security and peace of mind” of parents. If passed, it would only have come into effect in three years, giving daycare centers time to comply.

“The most pressing thing for the government to pass this morning is the ratings law and not abandoning [the pro-government] Channel 14, [but] in the same breath and without shame, the coalition votes against the protected space law for daycare centers for toddlers,” Yesh Atid says in a statement.

The daycare bill was defeated immediately after the coalition approved the initial reading of a bill granting the government oversight of television viewership data.