Despite UTJ getting a sweet deal from Netanyahu to join the coalition without even having to fight or negotiate for keeping their power, while the rest of the Netanyahu bloc all has to accept the fact that they will get less this time around, MK Yisrael Eichler is now threatening that UTJ will not join the coalition, unless...

According to Behadrei, Eichler wants the government to found an entirely new stream of schools for the Haredi educational system and fund it 100%.

According to Eichler, there are two officially recognized Haredi streams right now - Maayakn hachinuch Hatorani (of Shas) and Chincuh Atzmai (of Degel). Since 1992 these chains have been funded 100% just like the official State school system.

According to Eichler, the hassidic school systems were not granted the same recognition because they always wanted to preserve 100% control over the hashkafa of their educational system and have made do with their system of schools being classified as mosdot ptur - exempt, with diluted funding from the State.

The financial state of the educational system has caused a major problem for the parents and the schools, with donations drying up and parents unable to pay much and tuition rising. And that was before the Corona crisis. Now everything is much worse as people have lost jobs and businesses and even people before who had money now do not necessarily have and parents cannot be expected to pay hundreds of shekels each month.

If a new stream is not founded and funded completely, UTJ will not enter the coalition.

Interestingly, he seems to be speaking for the entire UTJ when he says this. I wonder if the others in his party agree and would hold out for this.

Eichler is forgetting about a third Haredi stream of education that already exists. that is, the State Haredi Education. UTJ refuses to recognize it and fights against the opening of school under this system wherever they can. The schools that do get opened have so far, supposedly, been flourishing with a very happy student and parent body.

Of course, it then will nto be enough to star a Hassidic stream of schools, as they will need separate streams for Belz, and for Gur and for Viznitz and for Dushinsky and for any others that operate their own schools and want to get in on this.