July 30 - Week #30

NYT is reporting that the Biden White House is encouraging the Israeli Opposition to form a coalition with Likud, the prize being normalized relations with Saudi Arabia. Two birds with one stone.

Maariv reporting that Likud is sending mixed signals: Calling for talks with the Opposition, and simultaneously saying that if no agreement on reforms, they will aggressively accelerate judicial process.

News sources reporting that MK Yair Lapid has offered negotiations around judicial reform, but only if guaranteed an 18-month freeze, with any judicial reform requiring a two-thirds supermajority rather than simple majority.

Follow the latest bills (in Hebrew): https://docs.google.com/.../1e6iRsPhCgzFVFoYR.../htmlview...

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich trying to change the formulas determining who is a resident of Israel based on the number of days they reside there. The legislation will consider just those In Israel fewer than 30 days per tax year foreign residents and not subject to tax. (This will affect Israelis considering relocation.)

Both Likud’s Eli Dallal and then Yuli Edelstein have now expressed discomfort with the unilateral passing of legislation by the coalition. A statement from Likud said, “There is no rebellion in Likud.”

Press reporting that the government to approve today an additional NIS 164 million ($44+ million) in funds for yeshiva students; funds to come from the reserve budgets of all the government ministries. This is on top of the already-allocated Haredi budget. (TOI concluding that this increases the 2023 budget for yeshivot to NIS 1+ billion, $294+ million.)

Likud Nissim Vaturi proposes legislation to give the Coalition control over what parties are able to run in elections.

PM Netanyahu accused by journalists of now only giving foreign interviews, no domestic interviews.