Lapid: "Moral cuts, state is not responsible for children"

A stormy day is expected in the Knesset: today (Monday) the plenary will hold hours of discussions, voting and political conflicts about sections in the Arrangement Laws and state budget. The voting will continue until the approval of the budget in a second and third reading.

The Opposition filed 4,700 reservations and in addition it requires holding a vote of names on hundreds of them, which would lengthen the approval of the budget. Voting on reservations about the budget began this morning - there will be held constantly all night until tomorrow at 9:00 am.

During the discussions and voting, the Nahari Law, which requires local authorities to participate in financing educational institutions, was cancelled.

The headlines were grabbed by the aggressive speech of the Finance Minister, Yair Lapid, and his sustained personal attack by opposition leader Yacimovich who presented him as a spokesman for Netanyahu.

"Opposition members are living in a world of fantasy," Lapid accused and attacked: "As much as I want to give and give - to give the center and to the periphery, to give everyone. I would like to lower the income tax to 2%, to give a car to every worker, an airplane to every family... And now, after we finished our fantasies, it's time to go back to the real world.

"This budget dealt with the question of 'where is the money' and close a hole in the budget of 35 billion - a problem that no one wanted to mess with. We were preoccupied with those which the opposition chose to ignore, to close their eyes and pretend it does not exist. We had to decide whether to let the business fall apart around us, the main thing that they won't be angry at us and not to think about tomorrow, but only about what they will write about us in the newspaper - or show leadership that takes into account the real world and not the fantasy world. "

"This place where I stand and present to you the budget, is the place where you can not only talk but protect Israeli citizens and the middle class, not Israeli citizens in the fantasy world and middle class in La- La- Land. We formulated a difficult budget and yet we put the middle class in the center."

"The middle class, which for years was the ATM of all Israeli governments, this time was the last source from which we took money. First we took from yeshivos and the rich, we raised taxes on large companies. We took from the Ministry of Defense. Only at the end after we took from other places and found there is no choice, we also took a little from the middle class . It saddens me, it's sad and we will refund it. "

Lapid's remarks provoked a storm and opposition MKs called out interjections at him. MK Eitan Cabel said to Lapid: "When did you see the light? You also lived in a fantasy world because you were against this policy! When did you awaken?"

Lapid ignored and continued: "This is a budget that says to the Israeli middle class – 'There are those who represent you.' This is a budget that will create growth, incentives for employment, the budget will encourage industries and technology and small businesses. Even in these difficult times we have increased the budget of welfare, health, education and transportation. We added funds for Holocaust survivors. We did what is possible in the real world where real people live. "

Finance Minister also referred to the pension cuts: "Those who work will get. Working is the basis for a healthy society. A move from the culture of allowances to a culture of work is the basis for all economics. The cuts in child allowances budget is not a necessity but a moral decision. Our job is that there will not to be hungry children in Israel - but if someone brings a child into this world he is responsible for them, not the state. "

Yechimovitz: "Netanyahu offered me to be a presenter too"

Shas Chairman MK Aryeh Deri, attacked Lapid, as he said, cuts in child allowances is cutting food for families in need. "This is a budget that has no mercy, no compassion," said Deri.

Previously, Opposition Leader Shelly Yacimovich, criticized the Finance Minister Yair Lapid: "Netanyahu needed a good presenter, someone younger, connected to the protest. Someone with experience who was once a presenter of Bank Hapoalim. Netanyahu appointed Lapid as his presenter, and what did the presenter do? Forgot about demonstrations, forgot that he spoke about new politics, forgot who swore to protect the middle class - and devotes himself entirely to the role of presenter. And what is he marketing? Exactly the same policy of which he made a mockery."

Yachimovitch claimed that Lapid betrayed his statements earlier and joined Netanyahu: "I remembered one finance minister, one who thought that if we give a lot - really a lot – to the rich, sometimes it would be good. Because at some mysterious point the growth will trickle through to all Israelis. If we privatize everything, it will be better. If we reduce taxes for tycoons, there will be a better atmosphere of the business. He didn't aim at the small and medium businesses, but the cream and whipped cream. The Minister of Finance who painted for us on the board the thin man and the fat man and when he spoke about the fat man he meant the teachers and social workers, and h the thin and poor man was Sari Arison, Lev Leviev, Yitzhak Tshuva. I assume Minister of Finance Yair Lapid knows who I mean. He knows him well. He demonstrated against him. Now he sits next to him at the government table. That Prime Minister is Binyamin Netanyahu. "

"I could have been Finance Minister instead of you," said Yachimovitch, "Netanyahu offered me to be his presenter, too. I'm not a presenter. You are a much better presenter than me."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!