Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that "a haredi and religious child should not receive less than a secular child" in response to controversy surrounding funds in the planned state budget being transferred to haredi schools that do not teach core subjects during a cabinet meeting next to the Western Wall on Sunday afternoon.
Referring to anti-haredi statements made by a presenter on N12 over the weekend, Netanyahu stressed "A haredi and religious child should not receive less than a secular child. An haredi child is not half a child. No one should see the defamation on television and cartoons that are copy-pasted antisemitic propaganda. No incitement will prevent us from passing the budget."
Netanyahu added that the state budget must be passed "for the sake of our security and our future."
"Arguments always arise at the last minute, I believe we will overcome them. For our opponents - do not develop expectations, because you will only be disappointed," said Netanyahu.
The prime minister additionally addressed statements by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas claiming that the Jews have no connection to the Temple Mount, saying "for his attention we are holding the special cabinet meeting this morning at the foot of the Temple Mount on which Solomon built the First Temple. The City of David was already here 3000 years ago. The connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem is a connection that cannot be compared among the nations."
"To the political opponents I say you should stop with your displays of hypocrisy and wild incitement," added the prime minister. "You distributed funds every week to the Joint List and other parties just to sustain your failed government. You are on the right and enlightened side. What hypocrisy, what a lie."
The Joint List disbanded before the swearing in of the former government. Only Ra'am, a faction that was once a part of the Joint List, joined the government, while the Balad and Hadash-Ta'al factions remained in the opposition alongside the members of the current government.
Government approves NIS 60 million in additional funding for Western Wall
The government approved a proposal by Netanyahu to increase the budget of the five-year plan for the Western Wall by about NIS 60 million.
During the cabinet meeting on Sunday, the government also approved and considered two five-year plans for the city of Jerusalem.
The first plan concerns the Old City area which will receive half a billion shekels over the next five years for the development of tourism, infrastructure, maintenance and regulation.
The second plan concerns investments in education, training, infrastructure, employment and economic matters in eastern Jerusalem.
The government additionally considered the "Am Olam" project to connect Israeli society and Diaspora Jews to the city of Jerusalem and to the Israeli tradition.