Top ultra-Orthodox MK says Bennett ‘betrayed the State of Israel’

United Torah Judaism leader MK Moshe Gafni said Tuesday that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had betrayed the State of Israel, drawing instant rebuke.

In an interview with the Haredi news site Kikar HaShabbat, Gafni said that Bennett is “an opportunist who wants it to be written down that he was prime minister.”

Gafni, whose party has declared its loyalty to opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, added that Bennett “betrayed his voters and betrayed the State of Israel.”

Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on Gafni to retract his words immediately.

“I call on Moshe Gafni to take back his comments immediately,” tweeted Lapid. “Statements like that lead Israel to doom. We can disagree, but such talk will lead to dangerous violence.”

The use of the word “betrayed,” which in Hebrew can also mean “traitor,” is reminicent the rhetoric used against then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin before he was assassinated by a Jewish extremist in 1995.

Gafni’s comments come a day after United Torah Judaism party number two Yaakov Litzman drew outrage after apparently branding the coalition’s leaders “dogs” during a Knesset speech.

Litzman addressed the parliament during a no-confidence motion in the government, ahead of marathon budget votes. The no-confidence vote was unusual, as Bennett and other senior coalition figures were out of the country to attend United Nations climate talks in Scotland.

“I don’t know much about cats,” said Litzman, an opposition MK and a former health minister. “But this is the first time I’ve seen dogs give something to cats.”

That was a reference to a provision in the state budget designating NIS 12 million ($3.8 million) to neuter stray cats, as demanded by Yesh Atid MK Yasmin Fridman.

“Those that bite are dogs,” added Litzman, apparently referring to senior members of the government.

The session was being chaired by Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi, who urged Litzman to carefully reconsider his words.

“I won’t reconsider. I won’t retract what I said,” replied Litzman.

Gafni and Litzman’s remarks come ahead of the final votes on the state budget this week.

The last time an Israeli government managed to pass a budget was in March 2018. Failure to approve the budget late last year was what brought down the previous government, of which Litzman’s party was a senior partner. Israel has had four election cycles since April 2019.

The budget bill for 2021 passed its first reading in September by a 59-54 vote, with the 2022 budget getting the go-ahead with a vote of 59 to 53.

The bill will now be brought to the Knesset floor for a vote on its second and third readings. It will need to pass a final vote by November 14 if snap elections are to be averted, but the coalition is hoping to hold the vote this Thursday, some 10 days ahead of the deadline.

Departing for the UN climate summit in Glasgow, Bennett on Sunday evening expressed confidence the budget would be approved this week, despite “desperate” attempts by the opposition to prevent its passage and effectively topple the government.

In a short address on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, Bennett said: “Here in Israel we expect a crazy week, which will get wilder every day as the vote on the budget gets closer. The moment the budget passes, it gives the government stability for several years.”

Bennett said “the budget will pass because Israel needs stability… because the country needs good, calm management… because no one wants to return to the endless elections cycle.”