Israel’s new finance minister up against ultra-Orthodox

As chair of the Yisrael Beitenu party, one of Avigdor Liberman’s demands for joining the new coalition was that it does not include the ultra-Orthodox parties. Liberman was largely responsible for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to form a coalition after the first round of elections two years ago. Already back then, forming a government without the ultra-Orthodox was a banner issue for Liberman. The same is true now. After the most recent election in March, he fought tooth and nail against efforts by Yamina leader Naftali Bennett and especially New Hope party leader Gideon Saar to include the ultra-Orthodox into the new coalition. In the end, Liberman got what he wanted, at least for the moment.

As a first step for distancing the ultra-Orthodox, Liberman introduced several clauses into the coalition agreement, realizing that the ultra-Orthodox parties would deem them problematic. These included a requirement for ultra-Orthodox schools supported by the state to teach a core curriculum (English, math and sciences); the operation of public transportation and the opening of supermarkets on the Sabbath; support for the Western Wall agreement, which would create an official space for Reform and Conservative Jews to pray at the holiest site to the Jewish people; an easing of the conversion process; and the elimination of the ultra-Orthodox monopoly over kosher food supervision.

While all of this is disturbing to the ultra-Orthodox parties, what bothers them most is Liberman’s control of the Israeli economy in the new coalition. He will be appointed finance minister, two other economic ministers will be approved by him and the chairman of the powerful Knesset Finance Committee will be a member of his Yisrael Beitenu party.

Former Knesset member Haim Oron of Meretz told Al-Monitor that Liberman’s dominance of the economic sector is a serious problem. “If the chairman of the [Finance] Committee is a peon of the finance minister, the Knesset will be unable to fulfill its most basic task of providing oversight to the government and taking it to task when necessary. Over the last few years, the committee has been subjected to extortion. Everyone, from every party, including the ruling party, cajoled it to get what it wanted. If the committee chair is a ‘yes-man’ of the new minister, the committee’s role in providing oversight and pressuring the Knesset to act appropriately — both necessary for a parliamentary system to function — will be lost entirely.’’