Tensions flared Tuesday morning in the Knesset Finance Committee as iSRAELI Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni that he would likely remain in the opposition “for many years,” prompting sharp reactions from other lawmakers in the room.
The clash unfolded during a discussion on the state budget bill, specifically the section dealing with property tax. Gafni argued that the proposal represented an unprecedented injustice.
“When you come and say, I’m submitting a law that also applies to farmers, but I’ll remove them — I don’t understand how you’ll remove them. What, people will come to you and say, ‘Just a second, why were the farmers excluded and why weren’t other factories excluded?’ What will you say? That you have sympathy for farmers? You put it in the law. You put it there — you’re the finance minister. I don’t know which officials helped you put it there.”
At that point, a direct exchange broke out between Gafni and Smotrich. The minister shot back: “Have you never amended laws here as chairman of the Finance Committee?”
Gafni responded, “Of course I changed things, but I never said, ‘The Justice Ministry won’t let me, I went against them.’ You’re not going against it.”
Smotrich replied, “No, I’m not going…”
Gafni answered, “Fine, it doesn’t matter, everything’s fine. What difference does it make? I’m in the opposition, I’m allowed to say what I see.”
Smotrich then remarked, “Right, right. I have a feeling you’re going to remain in the opposition for many years, apparently.”
Several MKs reacted immediately. “Whoa, whoa,” some lawmakers called out in response to Smotrich’s comment.
One member shot back, “My friend, in four and a half minutes he can bring your entire building down. You probably don’t understand who you’re talking to.”
Another MK added, “You’re lucky he hasn’t decided to be in the opposition yet.”
“Gafni, I wouldn’t skip over the agenda,” one lawmaker cautioned.
MK Naor Shiri also weighed in, saying: “You’re going to spend years in the opposition, said the finance minister — who, by the way, according to the coalition agreement, isn’t even supposed to be serving as finance minister. It’s a historic mishap.”
{Matzav.com}
The commander of the Dan District, Chief Superintendent Elad Klein, said police responded with unusually strong force during this week’s unrest in Bnei Brak, explaining that officers acted decisively after what he described as a lack of coordination with the military that led to the violent escalation.
In an interview with Kan News, Klein detailed the chain of events from the police perspective following clashes in the city’s streets and the subsequent exchange of accusations between Israel Police and the IDF. The dispute centers on whether there had been prior coordination before female soldiers entered the city to conduct outreach activities with potential recruits.
“When you are not updated about such an incident and you receive it from zero to one hundred, you first deploy whatever forces you have on the ground,” Klein said, describing the rapid response once the situation became known to police.
According to Klein, officers had to act quickly to extract the soldiers from the scene. “The rescue operation led to the torching of a scooter and the overturning of a patrol car. We concentrated all available forces and entered with very strong force, even disproportionate, in order to respond decisively.”
Klein pushed back against criticism attributed to the IDF chief of staff, who reportedly said that a situation in which soldiers cannot move freely anywhere in the country is unacceptable. “They are trying to portray it as though special approval is required to enter Bnei Brak. That is not the case,” Klein said. “Hundreds of soldiers in uniform walk around here daily. They sit in restaurants and eat in the city without any problem. Just last week I was sitting in a restaurant alongside soldiers and police officers in uniform.”
At the same time, Klein acknowledged a distinction between routine presence and organized outreach activity in sensitive neighborhoods. While the military described the visit as a “home visit” to potential recruits, police maintain it involved the distribution of flyers in the heart of areas identified with extremist factions.
Concluding his remarks, Klein addressed what he described as the broader context behind the outbreak of violence. “Let’s not be naive. You cannot disconnect this incident from the context of the draft law,” he said. According to Klein, entering what he called a stronghold of extremist groups in the city prompted what, from their perspective, was a predictable reaction. “From their standpoint, it is seen as a legitimate response to the struggle they are waging.”
{Matzav.com}
A heated confrontation erupted Tuesday morning during a Knesset Finance Committee meeting, as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich clashed with Arab MK Iman Khatib-Yassin over rising crime in Arab communities. The exchange came amid broader tensions in the committee, with additional sparring between Smotrich and opposition lawmakers.
The debate, which focused on budget allocations and government policy, turned sharply contentious when Khatib-Yassin criticized the government’s handling of escalating violence in Arab society. In response, Smotrich fired back with a remark that quickly drew attention: “Are we to blame that you’re killing each other?”
Earlier in the session, Smotrich was also involved in a pointed exchange with former Finance Committee chairman Moshe Gafni. During their back-and-forth, the minister told Gafni, “You’re in the opposition — I have a feeling you’re going to remain in the opposition for years to come.”
Gafni responded in kind, as tensions in the committee room continued to rise and the discussion grew increasingly combative.
Opposition MK Naor Shiri later joined the fray, directing his comments toward Gafni and referencing coalition agreements. “Let me remind you that according to the coalition agreements, he’s not even supposed to be serving as finance minister.”
{Matzav.com}
Police arrested five people overnight, including four minors, on suspicion of throwing objects and stones at members of the Vizhnitzer center on King Shlomo Street in Bnei Brak in incidents authorities say posed a real danger to lives.
According to a police statement, officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station, assisted by riot police and Border Police units, were deployed across the city following a series of disturbances. During operations in the area, officers identified several suspects allegedly hurling objects at members of the Chassidishe community.
Police moved in swiftly and detained five suspects — ages 13, 16, 17, 18, and 31 — all residents of Bnei Brak. The suspects were taken in for questioning at the local police station and are expected to be brought before a court later today for a hearing.
Law enforcement officials described the incident as part of repeated attempts by various groups to disrupt public order in the city. Police emphasized that they will continue to act decisively against any outbreak of violence.
Authorities also noted that members of the Vizhnitzer kehillah exercised restraint during the incident and complied with instructions from security forces on the scene, conduct that police said helped prevent further escalation.
As reported last night, dozens of fringe youths clashed for hours with police forces on Rechov Ezra in the city. During the unrest, fires were set, drivers were assaulted, and major traffic arteries experienced heavy congestion.
The disturbances began in the early afternoon as a protest near the Vizhnitzer Bais Medrash but quickly spiraled out of control. As the afternoon and evening progressed, dozens more youths arrived at the scene, and the protest evolved into a prolonged riot that included the burning of garbage bins, road blockages, and confrontations with police.
{Matzav.com}