Shas MK Attacks Smotrich: “On His Way to Destroying the Torah World”

Tensions inside the coalition over the daycare subsidy bill and the broader draft crisis erupted Tuesday, as Shas MK Moshe Abutbul launched a sharp public attack on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Speaking to Yaakov Grodka on Kol Barama, Abutbul accused Smotrich of hardening his position toward the Charedi parties for political reasons, claiming the Religious Zionism chairman is trying to recover from weak polling by targeting the Charedi public.

“Smotrich is not managing to rise in the polls, and he is trying to scrape together votes,” Abutbul said. “That is the reason for his behavior toward the Charedim.”

The immediate dispute centers on the daycare subsidy law, which is meant to restore government support for daycare tuition for families of kollel students who are affected by the legal consequences of the unresolved draft issue. The Charedi parties have been pressing for a legislative solution, while Smotrich has reportedly resisted proposals that would allow the subsidies to continue under the current circumstances.

Abutbul said the Charedi parties feel the coalition partnership has become one-sided, arguing that they have repeatedly supported Smotrich’s demands but are now being blocked on an issue they view as central to the future of the Torah world.

“It cannot be that everything he wants, we give him,” Abutbul said.

The Shas MK then escalated the attack, accusing Smotrich of adopting the conduct and language of the political left when it comes to Charedi interests. “He is behaving like the left,” Abutbul said, adding that Smotrich is moving toward being defined as “a destroyer of the Torah world.”

The phrase carries heavy weight in Charedi politics and is rarely used against a senior figure in a right-wing religious party. Its use reflects the depth of the anger among Charedi lawmakers over the deadlock on daycare subsidies, yeshiva budgets and the draft law.

The comments also come as the coalition faces growing internal pressure. The Charedi parties have warned repeatedly that the government cannot continue normally without a solution to the legal and financial problems facing yeshiva students and their families.

Abutbul’s remarks suggest that frustration is now being directed not only at legal officials or the opposition, but at Smotrich personally. The public clash marks another sign of the widening rift inside the coalition, as the unresolved draft crisis continues to threaten the stability of the government.