Lawmakers from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, a key ally in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, tabled on Tuesday a bill that would see the slogan “In God We Trust” featured on all legal tender minted by the Bank of Israel.
The bill was co-sponsored by MKs Moshe Abutbul, Michael Malkieli, Yosef Taieb, Uriel Buso, and Yaakov Mergi. The conservative lawgivers argued that the bill should be passed into law since the addition of the phrase on currency does not cause harm to anyone.
The opposition is expected to vote against the proposed legislation should it go up for a Knesset vote. The coalition is also not guaranteed to support the bill.
The bill's patron Deputy Agriculture Minister Moshe Abutbul explained in his proposition: “The Jewish people believe in one simple truth: that everything is given by the grace of the Lord, including economic prosperity. Therefore, it’s important to pay thanks to the Lord and proclaim our faith on bills minted in the State of Israel.”
Abutbul also cited the United States as an example of a country that uses the phrase on its money and added that doing so would act as a talisman for Israel's continued economic success.
“A peculiar way to tackle the high cost of living. What’s next? They will ask to put Deri’s portrait on each and every bill?” he wrote, referring to Shas leader Arye Deri.