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Oh ha who is this coming from: the next finance minister?

The idea that Avigdor Lieberman will be the next finance minister sounds absurd until a few months ago, but if the "change bloc" forms the next government, he may be the man in charge of the Israeli economy during one of the most challenging periods for the Israeli economy.

What will the man bring to the Ministry of Finance?

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• Minister of Finance

• Avigdor Lieberman

• policy

• Economic plan

• Israel is our Home

Sonia Gorodisky

Thursday, 29 April 2021, 08:48 Updated: 13:40

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Last December, after the Knesset is dissolved and the parties began to prepare for elections within two years, quartets initially declared Israel Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman on his desire to be finance minister. At the same time, the way to his goal, looked long, almost fictional.

But now, when talks to form a government by The "change bloc" is gaining momentum, according to representatives of the various factions in the bloc, which Lieberman portrays as a leading candidate for the position. Although he has no economic education, he always sought to promote economic projects even when he served as transport minister, infrastructure minister and foreign minister. - With an unprecedented national debt and some structural problems that are desperate for a solution, and this is a golden opportunity for Lieberman to prove himself as an economic savior.

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Will you confront the ultra-Orthodox?

In the eyes of his acquaintances, Lieberman is considered energetic and pragmatic, who is mainly focused and impatient with the therapist. During his long political career, Lieberman has not feared confrontations with the ultra-Orthodox, and presumably will not be afraid to confront the major workers' committees in the economy and the public sector in time to cut spending.

This may be reminiscent of the one who is also considered a "bulldozer" - current Finance Minister Israel Katz, but Katz's tenure was in line with Prime Minister Netanyahu's political agenda, which prevented him from taking steps that seem essential to the economy - first and foremost approval of the state budget .

Lieberman, on the other hand, seems to be more independent and without a deep commitment to who will serve as prime minister. In this sense, Lieberman's relative independence may be an advantage in pursuing a more prudent economic policy.

Today, when the government budget deficit is close to NIS 170 billion and government debt has crossed the NIS 1 trillion mark, Israel is begging for a purposeful finance minister who will not be afraid to cut spending.

Lieberman's economic platform first unveiled at Walla! Based on a free economy and the creation of growth engines for the economy, such as massive investments in infrastructure in collaboration with the private sector, with an emphasis on transportation infrastructure. If he serves as finance minister, Lieberman is expected to invest a lot of effort to pass a biennial budget to give economic certainty to the economy and stability to the government.

At the same time, in his view, the state needs to increase the economic safety net for the underprivileged populations who cannot participate in the labor market and for small businesses affected in Corona.

For example, the platform includes, among other things, assistance for low-wage earners and single mothers, and a safety net for income supplement recipients, pensioners and people with disabilities to the level of 70% of the minimum wage.

Lieberman cannot be suspected of being free of political considerations

- This is, of course, a concern for the electorate of Yisrael Beiteinu, since a significant portion of Lieberman's voters are immigrant pensioners who came to Israel in the 1990s and were left without a proper pension - they did not work long enough in Israel to earn pensionable rights. In the CIS countries, it amounts at best to a few hundred shekels a month.

However, along with the concern for its constituents, such a policy will of course also benefit all retirees and other benefit holders, and not just immigrants.

Prominent clauses in the economic platform of Yisrael Beiteinu concern the ultra-Orthodox sector

. Lieberman plans to cut child benefits from a fifth child or older - a move that will mainly hurt the ultra-Orthodox population. In addition, Lieberman plans to stop monthly allowances for students and yeshiva students aged 38-18. In his view, this will lead to savings of several billion shekels that will be invested, according to the platform, in infrastructure projects. These are moves that are likely to encounter strong opposition, but are not impossible. They also have precedents in the past - Netanyahu, when he served as finance minister in the early 2000s, cut child benefits and his political status actually strengthened as a result.

Lieberman's acquaintances believe he will insist on this promise, which was also his party's election promise. The purpose of cutting child benefits is to reduce the high birth rate among the ultra-Orthodox population and especially to encourage them to go to work.

However, it is important to note that the child allowance already stands at a meager sum of 150 shekels from a fifth child onwards, even though one of the purposes of these allowances was to reduce poverty among children.

Therefore, this step may aggravate the situation of families with many children and should be seriously considered.

In addition, Lieberman promised in his platform to increase the employment rate in the Arab sector, and especially among Arab women, while significantly increasing the budgets of vocational training tracks and reducing the labor phenomenon without a pay slip.

Karnit Flug, the former governor, was one of the top officials in the economic system - why did no woman serve as finance minister?

(Photo: Reuven Castro)

Since the establishment of the state, there has been no finance minister in Israel

And if we have already touched on the question of staffing the Minister of Finance, it is almost obvious that this time, too, male hegemony in this position will be maintained in the next term. Since the establishment of the state, there have been 30 finance ministers, including Eshkol, Peres, Netanyahu and Lapid. Some came to the position with financial experience and education and some did not at all. The Minister of Finance has never served in the State of Israel. Two senior politicians in the Shinui bloc - Meirav Michaeli and Ayelet Shaked - are not expected to fight for the position.

It seems clear to everyone today that women are as good at economics and management as men. Women have occupied a prominent place in the top of the Israeli economy for years and with great success. Even in the economic media one can find women in senior editorial positions.

Until a year and a half ago, three out of five banks were headed by women (Leumi, Hapoalim, Discount), and at that time a woman was also headed by the Central Bank of Israel - the former governor, Karnit Flug. We later saw the Turner Foundation serve as the director general of the Ministry of Finance, until the scuffle with Minister Katz.

We may have to wait for an Israeli finance minister until one of the talented women in the business or public sector decides to cross the lines into politics.

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