Shas chairman Aryeh Deri delivered another blunt message to his coalition partners on Monday, warning that any attempt to advance the state budget before the completion of discussions on the draft law will be blocked.
Speaking at a Shas faction meeting, Deri made it clear that budget legislation will not move forward until deliberations on the conscription bill are finalized. “The draft law is advancing in committee,” Deri said. “As you can see, it takes time, but it is moving forward.”
During the meeting, one Knesset member raised the possibility that the coalition intends to place the state budget on the Knesset agenda for a first reading as early as Thursday, with a vote planned for next week.
Deri dismissed the idea outright. “In their dreams,” he said. “There will be no vote on the budget before the discussions on the draft law are completed.”
As previously reported last month, Shas and Degel HaTorah had already conveyed a clear message to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and coalition leaders that they would not support the budget in its first reading until the draft law clears the relevant Knesset committee.
