Referring to the interview of the Turner and Shaul Meridor Foundation in Ilana Dayan’s “Fact” program:
“There is no doubt that the Ministry of Justice is our gatekeeper. The allegations raised by the director general of the Ministry of Finance, Keren Turner and Shaul Meridor, who served as head of the budget department, are serious allegations.
But I expect both of them to turn to the Attorney General and the State Comptroller to address their serious allegations. It is their duty and not their right. We have a law in this country, and it is not appropriate for the media to be turned around. Other than populism and promoting the rift in the nation, I do not see how this move solves anything. Only the Attorney General and State Comptroller can really resolve the issue. ”
Were decisions made to date, regarding the corona crisis, made on a factual or political basis?
“There are minimal threshold conditions in the selection of elected officials, specialization and understanding of the field they intend to manage, which is very lacking today and as a result we see the quality of leaders, how the government is run and how the processes are run.”
“There is no doubt that at the end of the first closure the conduct was very political and decisions were made for political reasons. There is a dysfunctional government, many meetings were canceled, and decisions were not made, especially when there were two prime ministers, it is unacceptable situation. For some reason it seems that two prime ministers it is possible .., there was a particular dysfunction that there was no free love here .. and here you have the reason political decisions are made.
Did the personal interests of the Prime Minister precede the considerations of the citizens of Israel?
I from the side saw a total dysfunction due to structure, two parties, a very large lack of experience, a lack of understanding in the field they manage and in addition a lack of experience in leading processes. Will add to the crisis of trust between the professional echelon and the political echelon, and the very professional echelon will weaken.
How does the lack of a state budget affect the Israeli capital market?
This is the first time in the history of the State of Israel that there has been no state budget for about two years, which leads to a lack of priorities, in terms of the health system, security and more. Moreover, we are in the great economic crisis that the country has known and no one is paying attention to it, there is no long-term look. The current situation is in fact that there is no budget and priorities and no structural reforms, a strategy to get out of the crisis – we, the citizens of the country, are paying a price. It is inconceivable that in such a period there is no budget, it is wrong and unhealthy and causes damage to the Israeli economy.
Who is responsible for this?
There was a government here that was supposed to pass a budget, to take care of the corona it also means to take care of the budget instead I saw them dealing with a million other things …
Is there no budget just for personal reasons concerning the Prime Minister?
There is no budget because the Israeli government did not function and because of foreign political considerations! Each camp places the blame on the other side. I do not care if Bibi or Gantz are to blame .. As a citizen of the country I expect my government to take care of the country.
The new government should approve an immediate budget for 20-21 20-22. The fastest budget he can pass will be in July – August 2021. Only in May there will be a government and the fastest possible budget will be in July. Alongside this they will have to bring significant structural reforms – how to accelerate the traditional industry, how to deal with unemployment, as a result of the inefficient model of challah and more.
Are vaccines significant in returning the economy to routine?
Assuming the vaccine catches the mutations and contains them, I guess as early as March and April the Israeli economy will open up, and we will be able to return it to employment. If there are mutations that the vaccine does not contain we will have to face new challenges. If there is no functioning government we will find ourselves running from lock to lock and the blow to the economy will be more severe.
Low interest rates
The interest rate adjusts itself to the inflation targets set by the Bank of Israel, and as a result the exchange rate is derived. As the Israeli economy was strong, the shekel strengthened and the dollar eroded.
The gatekeepers, how do you see the state of the economy in light of the fact that the gatekeepers have weakened as a result of the pressure of the politicians ..?
I think part of the problem stems from the gatekeepers themselves. When you are an incumbent, your job is to advise and persuade the political parties, to give a recommendation – you do not set the policy, you implement it.
The officials got confused, every time the minister decides something that does not suit us, we will text, torpedo, and defile. These are things that bureaucrats, especially in the treasury, would make news for the mornings and a serious crisis of confidence was created between the professional and political echelons. The political echelon decided to divide the professional echelon.
Bar Simon was a good writer who received great confidence from the Prime Minister, implemented decisions and pushed for policy. His power stemmed from the fact that he understood his role, in all the discussions between the political and professional echelons that I as the former director general of the Ministry of Finance participated in together with the director general of the Ministry of Health were held behind closed doors.
In the first closure, when there was a good sign break in the front, the management of the corona was much clearer and more uniform, the prime minister made decisions based on recommendations given by the professional echelon. Today, the professional echelon is being ostracized, fearing leaks and slander. Instead of the professional echelon understanding its place, it will understand that it is here to implement the decision and the trust that it is very important to have between the professional echelon and the political echelon. This is a very important balance. At the end of the day the decision-making power can be given to the political echelon which is not always professional.
What is the responsibility of the Minister of Finance for not transferring the budget?
The fact that in the end there is no budget for the State of Israel is the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance! Their full responsibility. There is no doubt that there is no budget, it is a failure of the government.
The responsibility of the Minister of Finance is to harness the professional echelon, once a political echelon makes decisions without the recommendations of the professional echelon the result is problematic.
“There is no doubt that the Ministry of Justice is our gatekeeper. The allegations raised by the director general of the Ministry of Finance, Keren Turner and Shaul Meridor, who served as head of the budget department, are serious allegations. But I expect both of them to turn to the Attorney General and the State Comptroller to address their serious allegations. It is their duty and not their right. We have a law in this country, and it is not appropriate for the media to be turned around. Other than populism and promoting the rift in the nation, I do not see how this move solves anything. Only the Attorney General and the State Comptroller can really resolve the issue. ”