Sokol reviews the Knesset on Monday, as hostage brother Danny Elgarat was thrown out of a committee meeting by committee chair Simcha Rothman after a disagreement with the brother of another hostage about the hostage deal under discussion. Sokol discusses the comments and images that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich offered as he voiced his disapproval for the hostage deal, and his underlying threat to bolt the coalition if the government agrees to the deal, along with other Knesset members’ recent remarks that this government may not last much longer. Smotrich’s ultra-right ally, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, then threatened ultra-Orthodox party Shas that he would not support their narrowed bill for community rabbis, calling Shas “a lapdog of the left,” while Shas Knesset member Aryeh Deri retorted, by calling Ben Gvir “an inflated balloon.” Sokol also mentions the statement made by Knesset member Gideon Sa’ar hinting that former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is considering a return to politics. Steinberg talks about some recent projects for hostage families, the bereaved and survivors, including free tattoos for about 120 Israelis, and a hostage family project called “Week of Goodness.”
