Bennett Takes the Reins

Yemina is talking with Bibi about the coalition -- will they enter this bloated overly expensive government or will they decide to stay in opposition? Let us hear what they have to say in press conferences they posted on their Facebook pages yesterday: Here are the points he makes:

• At this point in time, the biggest challenge facing the country is the level of unemployment in the private sector. Too many people are unable to feed their families. We reached the point where the Corona is under control and now the balance needs to move toward the economic damage done by the policies of isolation which were necessary to reach this point.
• What do we want? Yes, we want to be in the government because we want to be able to have influence. I went into politics to be able to have influence. Not at any price. So we are asking two questions:
  • will the government take the direction that is important to us? first and foremost, fixing the economic destruction wrought by the Corona epidemic. And we want to see that the government will move toward brave and innovative reforms in the public sector, a revolution in labour laws, and
  • how much can we influence? I know that we will not get all that we want, but if we can impact change, good. But if the government goes in the opposite direction and, for example, does not promote changes that would create a large number of jobs and we do not have much say in the matter, then no.

When asked about opening yeshivot, Bennett expanded the issue to include schools in general and he said that, in contrast with the Health Ministry, schools must be opened after Yom Haatzmaut and not wait until the beginning of May. There is legitimate disagreement here, he remarked, and went on to say that he believes that if people follow the rules regarding social distancing, then schools and businesses should be opened sooner rather than later. He suggests that the over-apprehensiveness causes huge damage to the country. He claims that agriculture was left open because of his pressuring to do so. If we do not allow businesses to open,

we will find more people dying because they do not have enough money to buy medicines, the government will not have the funds to provide the health basket, we won't be able to provide for our families properly. We need determination along these lines, this is the principle line that I intend to direct and to push with all my might and then we have to work hard to rehabilitate the incomes of Israeli families.

He was asked about testing and started to talk about the need to test the population to know how many of us have been exposed to the virus and the efforts to achieve that goal.

We don't know that fact and we should have known that a long time ago. ... We are at war, a war for the parnasa of Israeli citizens. We cannot conduct ourselves in that war with a kind-of nonchalance, until there is this approval or that approval. EVERY DAY WE ARE LOSING PLACES OF WORK. Every day we are losing more than billion shekels in nation product. With what superficial thinking are we closing shops? Making a lockdown as if it is a game. I do not accept this. And if it was up to that way of thinking, they would also have closed the building and agricultural sectors. I remember, one and a-half months ago, I had to fight tooth and nail to protect those sectors and I was told, 'impossible, impossible'.

And then he grew more and more animated:

But look! It was possible. It is necessary, mandatory. And thank goodness we opened the economy after the last day of Passover and we did not wait till the 30th of April as some wanted. I do not accept that approach. It is an approach that is, in my opinion, very harmful, very dangerous for the future of Israeli citizens.  they are talking about exponential growth and we will, God forbid, see exponential growth in suicides among business owners. ... It is impossible to with such easiness lockdown here and lockdown there. This is not a game. It is livelihoods.

He talked about public "servants" whose salaries are deposited in the banks on the first of the month and argued for those who do not have that. He asked to consider those whose occupations are in entertainment, sports, psychology, parent guidance, shop owners:

What about them?

He was in a meeting in which the participants wanted to close the open-air street malls.

Why? Because! No! No because. It's their livelihoods. It's people's lives. It's their self-respect.

He is not suggesting we open everything without thinking. But he is asking for balance and rational planning. He believes the economy can be totally opened if there is universal testing, protection of the elderly in institutions, continuation of the practice of social distancing and increasing the hospital capacities. What constituted the correct approach at the start of the crisis in no longer appropriate. He talks about the serious problems facing the government with increased national debt, decreased funds because lower taxes collected. Then he says that instead of closing shops, let us list the criteria for re-opening them. And here he once again became animated:

Nobody is taking into consideration the harmful effects of the lockdown on the million one hundred unemployed. What does it do to their health? How many of them will die from depression? How many will become anxious? How many divorces will there be? How many suicides will there be? How many hungry children will there be? What about that? Everything is the 187 elderly who unfortunately died from Corona? Is there no balance?

The final question was the one I have and that is: is it right to have so many ministers and deputy ministers when there is such high unemployment? He started to answer that of course it is not ideal but given the circumstances, the current constraints .... and here the tape ended in the middle of his sentence. obviously not good to have so many ministers. It's politics. Politics is hard. I don't know if there was much choice for Bibi? Obviously there are ministries that are not necessary. I would prefer a larger government that lasts the entire term than a smaller one that does not. Every day that passes more people lose their jobs -- 600 from Coke, 300 from Elbit. We cannot wait for rehabilitation of the economy. Cannot compare Israel to Italy that has a much higher average age. Number of ministries is not the issue - our ability to influence is and direction of the government is It is not that a retired judge from the SC will get 200,000 NIS a month pension while there are people who are starving. And who will do it? We can beat the Corona and rehabilitate the economy. My plan will not cause people to stop listening to the Health Ministry directives, the opposite is true. Still have to stay away from grandparents.