Netanyahu and Lapid
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Coalition plays blame game amid cancellation of Cabinet meeting
Ministers chastise prime minister for dodging controversial decisions; Netanyahu's office: Cabinet would be meeting if Lapid produced acceptable budget.
After the weekly cabinet meeting meant to take place on Sunday was originally postponed, the prime minister's office officially informed the ministers Thursday morning that it was cancelled, making it the second cabinet meeting in a row to be ignored by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
On the agenda for the cabinet are some pressing issues for which MKs are demanding decisions, including the tightening budget after an expensive 50-day operation in Gaza and the conversion law.
Who's responsible for Cabinet cancellations? (Photo: EPA)
Blame being passed from one government official to another has put tension on Netanyahu's coalition. Netanyahu's office named Finance Minister Yair Lapid as responsible for the cancelled meetings saying that, "The cabinet meeting was rejected due to the need for marathon discussions on the budget. That's because... no budget has been presented that addresses the security threats facing Israel without significantly increasing the deficit."
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A senior official in the finance ministry however, told Ynet Thursday morning that the cancellation was strictly on Netanyahu's shoulders. "When the prime minister decides what he wants, we know how to pass a budget within three hours. The problem is that Netanyahu - being Netanyahu - is postponing and struggling to decide."
"He's suffering, so he is stuck," said the source. "We are waiting for him to make decisions." Other ministers suggested additional reason for the cancellation including that Netanyahu is trying to avoid expected criticism on his conduct during Operation Protective Edge and controversy with the religious community over the conversion law.
The cabinet meeting was expected to include the passing of a NIS 1.3 billion aid package to residents of the south, but including a planned vacation, the Cabinet now hasn't met for three weeks.
