BICOM

Finance Minister Yair Lapid was sharply criticised by opposition members in the Knesset yesterday after he took to Facebook to deny that higher education cuts are in the offing.

Representatives of Israel’s National Union of Students (INUS) claimed on Monday that Finance Ministry officials had threatened to cut the budget for higher education if they do not agree to an increase in tuition fees. Lapid denied via Facebook that such an ultimatum had been given, writing that students had been “taken for a ride” and explaining “No one has decided to raise tuition… and had I thought the students would be harmed I would have driven home and protested against myself.”

The INUS responded saying that although they were, “glad to see the finance minister’s commitment to protect the student public and the higher education system,” Lapid should “sit with his senior office workers” and explain it to them, reiterating that an ultimatum was issued.

The episode drew a sharp response from opposition parliamentarians during a special Knesset session yesterday on proposed budget cuts. Opposition leader and Labour Party head Shelly Yachimovich challenged Lapid, saying “Who do you hurt first? Those you promised to represent,” and claimed that “if a finance minister from Shas hurt students first and Yesh Atid was in the opposition, how you would scream – justifiably.”

Opposition members also expressed disapproval that Lapid did not attend the Knesset session and instead sent his deputy minister Mickey Levi. Yachimovich said from the podium, “Facebook is not a replacement for the Knesset,” while United Torah Judaism’s Moshe Gafni accused Lapid of, “running away from having to cope with the parliament and democracy.” Lapid was last week accused by opponents of being out of touch over a Facebook post in which he described the financial situation of an average middle-class Israeli. The first major domestic political hurdle facing the new governing coalition is to pass a budget; a process having been delayed by the elections.