'Terrible system.' Livni
Photo: Itzik Edry
Livni: PM committed to Shas, haredim
Opposition leader says Likud 'sold its national agenda to haredi politics'; claims her party has 'said no' to ultra-Orthodox factions
As opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kadima has never bowed to the excessive demands of the ultra-Orthodox parties, Opposition leader Tzipi Livni said Monday.
Speaking at a Kadima faction meeting, the chairwoman her party has "said no" to the haredi parties in the past in matters concerning the "fate of the country.”
Livni continued to say that "the issue here is not the haredim; the issue at hand is politics that take advantage of a terrible system and a weak politician."
This state of affairs, according the Kadima leader, has resulted in a situation whereby "women have been pushed to the back of the bus, emergency rooms are not being built and the core subjects are not being studied.
"When I spoke to Bibi about a possible partnership, he said, 'I'm already committed to Shas'," she said in an apparent reference to the post-election coalition negotiations. "This is not just about abusing the system, it's about the Likud (party) and what it has become – Likud has sold its national agenda to haredi politics."
According to Livni, "Everyone suffers from this situation; all those who care about Judaism in the national sense, not just the religious one. This stance is not anti-religious or anti-haredi. This stance places the concern for the future of our society above everything else. This issue has not topped the PM's list of priorities."
On Sunday Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai criticized the ultra-Orthodox education system's refusal to teach all the so-called "core subjects."
"Due to political pressure, in the name of multiculturalism and other advanced slogans - the State of Israel is funding and cultivating entire insulated and ignorant sectors which are increasing at a frightening speed and are jeopardizing our political and financial strength," he said.
