UTJ Close To Signing Deal With Likud, Gafni Delays Over Infrastructure Reforms Committee

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The UTJ party conducted marathon negotiations with Likud on Sunday night, leading to significant progress between the two parties.

On Sunday the two parties conducted negotiations which broke up after UTJ claimed that it was being discriminated from other parties in the coalition and receiving less that it proportionate part in government.

According to the new tentative agreements reached, Meir Porush will serve as the Minister for Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition. Porush claims that the ministry has no real clout and is also demanding to be in charge of implementing the recommendations of the Meron committee.

Currently, Yitzchak Goldknopf is slated to be Construction Minister, Uri Maklev will be a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with authority over the Chareidi Economic Administration. Additionally Maklev will be Deputy Transport Minister and will oversee transport for the Chareidi public.

Yaakov Asher will be head of the Interior Affairs Committee, Yisrael Eichler will head the Labor and Social Affairs Committee

Moshe Gafni will be head of the Finance Committee, although Gafni threatens to blow up the agreement since Religious Zionism has received control over the Knesset’s  committee for infrastructure projects and reforms.

This committee has a crossover in responsibilities with the Knesset’s Finance Committee and Internal Affairs Committee.

Haredi news site Behadrei Haredim reported that UTJ officials were surprised by this agreement on Monday, and that it might affect their ongoing coalition negotiations with Likud.

MK Moshe Gafni said during a Finance Committee meeting on Monday morning that the plan “harms the Knesset’s work” and that he would try to convince Netanyahu to walk back the decision.