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And it's before the end: Orit Farkash HaCohen concludes a stormy term - voila! Of money

2022-12-09T05:08:46.752Z


Orit Farkash HaCohen has only been in politics for three years, but she is one of the stormiest ones the system has known. Just before leaving the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, she summarizes a period


Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash HaCohen.

Only three years in politics, but what turbulent years (Photo: Reuven Castro)

It may sound surprising, but Minister Orit Parkash HaCohen, who served last year as Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has only been in politics for three years.

When I tell her that for some reason it would look much better, she laughs and says "but it feels like a hundred", and adds that it is of course in humor.



And yet in the last three years with her entry into politics where she came from the public sector where she served as the Chairman of the Electricity Authority, Farkash HaCohen has experienced five election campaigns, six corona waves, two governments and three ministries when in the past she also served as Minister of Tourism and Minister for Strategic Affairs. Farkash HaCohen is considered an executive minister, During her short tenure, she managed to do what other politicians are unable to do even during a full term and passed many law amendments and reforms within her office and outside of it.



Before we conclude, maybe we'll start from the end, how frustrating is it to finish everything right in the middle of doing it?


"It's very frustrating, mainly because I initiated major processes and political instability has a heavy price, first and foremost the one who pays it is the citizen. I think that precisely because of my professional experience when I entered politics, I was very insistent on determining everything I decide, lifting it from the level of recommendations of a team and determining it for decisions government, for implementation, so that very strategic things became binding things. In conclusion, I know that the people in the professional systems and ranks are very binding on the changes we made, and the challenge will be for the next minister to continue pushing these performances."



The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology is actually an extension of what used to be the Ministry of Science "Prime Minister Bennett used to introduce me to the other ministers as the high-tech minister. But seriously, the fact that the government, mainly following legislation that I led, was able to connect the high-tech industry with the worlds of research and science is a significant point to note.



Basically, you see that the government finally sees this important industry as not something that should be taken for granted, because saying that high tech and technology are the engine of the Israeli economy is not enough, and that is what we have been doing for the last year and a half in the ministry.

I laid the foundations and infrastructure for a lot of other areas for the diversification of the industry to prepare for and deal with the challenges of the next decade."

Minister Orit Farkash HaCohen with 8th grade children in Ashdod, as part of the Hi-Tech Class program (Photo: None)

Hi-tech in class

Still, despite the short term and the feeling of missing out, Farkash HaCohen says that she also felt a great sense of accomplishment, and leaves the office with the knowledge that she was able to lay significant infrastructure for the coming years.

"This industry needs someone who will look at it from a broad point of view, it needs much more than one dimension and someone who sits in the government and may be the one who will push the challenges and lead other bodies along with them."



One of the most interesting reforms you have done pertains to education, on the face of it, it is not an area that your ministry deals with, but it burned in you


"Last September, after almost a year of work, we passed a resolution that included no less than eight government ministries and representatives of industry, research bodies, and the Bank of Israel, who sat around one table for discussions that came together In the end, a government decision in which the decision was actually made on the importance of producing education and tools from school age in the start-up country. And let's call the child by his name, 21st century education and providing employment services in the current world and in particular in a country known as Start-up Nation."



This is a national program of human capital for the high-tech industry in the State of Israel with a view perhaps for the first time to the distant future, until the year 2035. Which is interesting because we usually do not see that far


"This is the first time that the definition of high-tech professions is being expanded and adapted to today's reality .

I knew that the emphasis must be on education, because in the end high-tech is a tool for reducing social gaps, for equal opportunities.

And I'll just say that even before the decision was made, we started working and promoting significant projects."



Among the programs promoted under the leadership of the Ministry of Innovation, is the Hi-Tech Class program that was launched in a thousand 8th grades and 2,000 compulsory kindergartens, "in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the CEO of my office, and the 15 TOP initiative, in fact This one started to create reality."

Farkash HaCohen, originally from Ashdod, was very excited to come to one of the 8th grade classes in the city and see the students who started studying high tech, as part of a regular curriculum and not some kind of honors track.



"It was important for us to promote this program not only for those who are strong and not only for those whose parents can pay. The teachers who started teaching the children I met came to me and told me that this thing was amazing. One of the teachers really moved me when he told me about a high school student in Ashdod, who asked him Wait, so we're studying high tech even though we don't excel and we're not in Tel Aviv?', and it was exciting because in my opinion that was the goal of this whole program. That's what we wanted to filter."



The program was initiated by the outgoing minister in the first month of her position in the ministry.

She says that the token fell to her during the overlapping of the position, after watching a slide that told the whole story of the State of Israel and the periphery.

"In the slide I saw boys at the age of 17, according to the city's segmentation, which shows what their chances are in the future of reaching technological professions."



Tel Aviv stars and everyone sails far, far away


"The goal was for everyone to understand that hi-tech is a part of our lives in all areas. This led to another initiative of establishing physics majors in Acre, Shlomi, Sha'ar HaNegev, Netivot, and precisely in those places where there are not always enough children to start a major. This is something that can change the course of a person's life children in the periphery".



How do you ensure it stays?


"We are budgeting for these programs with a joint budget, and I believe that when good things start it is very difficult to stop them. The cross-border collaborations are already, for example, the army has also taken on all kinds of goals and we have been harnessed and this is something that can give a huge impact, also a project that started in front of 10 local authorities in the periphery called from the Tech community center.

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Served on behalf of Shachel

Signing an agreement with her Moroccan counterpart (Photo: none)

Incentive for relocation

Not only education was at the forefront of her mind, but also the initiation of far-reaching processes and changes in an industry that until recently relied almost exclusively on cyber.



"Israel is strong in cyber, in high-tech, and we made very big and significant efforts to produce an arrowhead where my office began to strengthen the diversity of the industry and its development in other areas as well, for example climate. We received a budget of 3 billion shekels to strengthen this industry. Today one out of every two start-ups is engaged in in the climate and we want to strengthen it, bring in more investment bodies, more venture capital funds in this area. And food tech, and artificial intelligence."



I think that one of the essential problems in start-ups is ultimately a brain drain, the difficulty at times with the taxation and regulation here may mean that the companies that grow in Israel simply do not stay here


"Part of the tasks I promoted was a plan to deal with distortions in the taxation rules of high-tech people who relocate, that today's arrangements create an incentive for those who travel today to relocate not to return before the end of ten years, and this was an amendment we established with the head of taxes, and the fact that we went to the elections delayed this chapter from entering the Settlements Law



. Another one that I promoted is the law for the promotion of the industry, the Angels Law. In my view, this is an important law for the Israeli industry, which is more mature, more diverse with established companies, and has a correction for all kinds of corporate taxation barriers and the creation of incentives for companies that are developing commercially to remain based in Israel."



This is a law that has been stuck for over 3 years


"I passed it in the first reading, and again unfortunately the elections stopped it. The Likud refused to promote it, and I hope that between the governments I will be able to promote it for the sake of continuity so that it moves forward. Still, I feel great satisfaction that during this period of very hard work we took this office as a leader in the government, A body that both integrates and leads very significant decisions, for industry, for the economy, and for society and to reduce gaps."



Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the conversation with you I get the impression that this is perhaps the only "non-political" ministry


"Any ministry can become political very easily. I decided on the steps and directions with a very real goal. Once and for all to create infrastructure and diversity in the industry that will continue to strengthen it and keep it attractive for long-term investors and a second time take care of the infrastructure related to education and children.



A minister who comes in, usually starts saying which city to give to and where they win or don't win, and for me the parameters were always to let the professional ranks work and think that every boy and girl in the State of Israel is like my child and what decision would I make.

In the end, even when the professional ranks see a minister committed to the goal and not to business, it generates a lot of commitment, and one of the great achievements is that the ministry became the leader of such big decisions that were shared by so many bodies that



were engaged


. I come to the position with a very executive background, and an understanding of how a government works in a truly unusual way, so in that sense I have an advantage and I'm happy about it because as soon as I entered the office I know how the mechanism works, how to set things in motion, I'm also someone who works with my hands whenever something got stuck.



In a certain sense, I found parallel lines to my work as chairwoman of the Electricity Ministry.

My term at the head of the electricity was a very difficult and demanding term, and there I basically laid the foundations for a competitive and diverse electricity market that you see today at its peak, and everyone in the energy market knows what kind of infrastructure I laid in the diversity of this market that today is reaping the fruits.

I feel that in this office I did the same.



I joined an office that had gone through a revolution in terms of the scope of its responsibilities, and first of all I was involved in strengthening and building on the one hand, but also pushing projects that will serve as foundations for further strengthening the high-tech industry and, of course, science, because all the new demanding areas that the high-tech world is going into rely on a high level of research and development, and this Kind of reminds me of the processes we did in the energy field."



What do you say about the crisis in high-tech?


"There is no doubt at all that there is a global crisis, and there are challenges in the world in all markets, and there is no doubt that the high-tech industry is also experiencing them. But two things must be said: the industry comes to this crisis mature and in good shape, and even if there are corrections at the end, the industry knows how to react well and quickly. We do see that the companies themselves are moving from a policy of growth to belt-tightening and efficiency and budget restraint.



But in the end, the policy of a government and a minister in relation to the industry is not determined on the basis of an easy year or two difficult years or two good years, it is measured in the medium to long term. The high-tech industry in Israel is not just It is called the crown of the economy, it has strong, established companies, there is an amazing ecosystem here, growth companies and unicorns, and this industry is here to stay. This is why, even in terms of the work plan, the thinking is always for the long term. And it is especially important these days to strengthen not only the industry in terms of Its diversity, as well as the education and opportunities."



Actually, as part of the government's decision in the human capital plan, you voted for quantitative targets also in the field of the presence of underrepresented populations in the high-tech field.

This is a wonderful initiative, but how can you follow the implementation of the program, especially when it is not a public sector but a private sector?


"First of all, when the infrastructure of the education system is strong, then you also leave a lot of girls in it. And this is a significant figure. Another thing is the impact programs for the Arab society and the ultra-Orthodox, budgeted programs that are adapted to these societies have already been launched. Another tool is the employment arm of the Innovation Authority that comes out with placement programs against Private companies. During my work, I got the impression that the government can't just put a Band-Aid and take shortcuts. Change doesn't happen overnight, you have to work on education first."

On high-tech: "There is an amazing ecosystem here, growth companies and unicorns, and this industry is here to stay" (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Memories from the Ministry of Tourism

As mentioned, Farkash HaCohen works in the political arena more like a CEO or a chairwoman than as a politician.

One of the achievements she was able to pass outside the walls of her office was the amendment of the wealth law, a process she started when she was the minister of tourism, and found herself convincing two finance ministers that there was an injustice here that for some reason no one in the system was able to see.



"Amending the wealth law is one of the types of legislative amendments that I call the public's big money that is under the lamp and no one knows about this omission. It is an amendment that I promoted with the help of two finance ministers that actually amended the mechanism for depositing funds into the wealth fund for the benefit of the State of Israel", for those who are not in the know, The State of Israel established a fund that was supposed to store the excess profits we have as a country from our natural resources, minerals, gas, when the mechanism in the law failed to recover the money.



"The change corrected the default in the mechanism in a way that would allow normal and balanced collection. And the government now has the ability to produce a balanced dialogue with the largest companies in the economy. And I want to remind you that these funds are ultimately supposed to be used for purposes in the public interest. This fund was more than five years late in its activation due to Problems of the time of money collections".



How difficult is it as a minister of tourism, who is not in the field of the ministry, to promote such a thing - and even more in front of finance ministers?


"It required an extraordinary effort that is exceptional. Think of me as the minister of tourism coming to the then minister Israel Katz and starting to explain to him what this means, and it's a strange situation because actually here I only brought my background from the worlds of energy and the worlds of infrastructure. We started the process and then as the minister of innovation the first meeting I scheduled was with Lieberman and I told him that he simply had to sign a letter of continuity in order for me to complete the legislation. Happily, it happened."



Let's talk a little about the cost of living, where will we end up?


"I watched from the sidelines Netanyahu's announcements in his campaign that he wants to freeze the tariffs for the increase in electricity prices. I say this as someone who was the chairman of the Electricity Presidency at the end of the current presidency, will you want or be able to spread this price increase because in 2026 the use of coal will be reduced, and electricity has a lot meaning in the cost of living, and if the prime minister really has to stick to his decision

and

cancel this increase in price, he will have to put his hand in the state's pocket and bring the money to the electricity sector, which must be run economically."




"This government has made historic processes. And in the end, there are all kinds of processes that take time, and I also had a criticism. I thought that things were not done completely, for example the perfume reform, which for the first time removes a great deal of the regulation and the archaic standards of the Ministry of Health that suffocate the makeup and toiletries market, so rather The most expensive products were excluded from the reform under the pressure of the Ministry of Health, and many conversations with the Minister of Health did not help in this matter and I think here we missed an opportunity despite the many attempts."



Another important issue that the next government will examine is free education for children, which is an initiative that you have been trying to promote for a long time


"It is important for me to point out that this is a reform for free education from birth to the age of three for working couples. Look, in the end we have to strengthen this layer called the young working couples in the State of Israel. In fact, they are the focus of most of the cost of living, expensive apartments, crazy costs precisely in the years when there are small children who need kindergartens. And this also hurts the employment market, and especially women, many of whom prefer to stay at home, because it is not worthwhile for the woman to go out to work with these costs. I presented a 5-6 year plan that will put people to work, free up income, and this is yet another thing that the elections interrupted."



Is this something you plan to continue to promote?


"I will certainly mention at every opportunity that I can the beautiful videos that Prime Minister Netanyahu made on this very matter, he knocks on the door and enters a young couple and says, "Is it difficult for you? You pay a lot? I wanted to promote it when we were with him in the government, but unfortunately they did not want to make a budget, but we got To a place where this thing is forced to be done. I want to emphasize that first and foremost it is necessary to do for working couples and those who kneel under the burden in terms of taxes and costs."

"I think that the incoming minister will receive an amazing infrastructure of many national projects" (Photo: Government Press Office, Haim Tzach)

used to a male environment

How frustrating is it that there is a female minority in the current Knesset?


"In general, I'm used to being in male fields, politics and energy. But I was proud to be one of 8 ministers in the current government and speaking of girls and their connection to future professions, in the end there is nothing better for any girl than to look around and see life or a country where she can see herself ministering as a business woman And so on, role models of women who do and are everywhere.

In the end, this is the real change and I'm very sorry."



It is evident that the cooperation here is a significant part of the success


"The things I promoted were done with a lot of dialogue and consultation with people from the industry itself. In the players in the high-tech industry I found the closest thing to what I have ever seen to business leadership, this is a very special industry in the sense that they have a commitment to long-term processes including a very large social involvement. A lot The growth companies are responsible for the integration of populations in high tech and are a multiplier in many ways. It is clear that the crisis will delay some of the processes, but as a government we are looking at the long term and in this sense it is an industry that really impressed me."



As part of the collaborations, there are also those with the USA that have strengthened in the past year


"The collaboration with the USA is very significant to me. During the visit to Biden when he signed the Jerusalem Declaration, we made sure that there would be an American commitment to raise the level of technological cooperation. As part of the collaboration with the USA , we met the head of the American Technology Ministry, and I asked him,



He answered me 3600, and when I asked how many Israelis there were, he said barely 4. We understood that there was a problem and that we needed to act, after all the global American market is the market where many companies operate, and in this matter it can only be another strength for the industry.

People do not understand how much the success of the high-tech industry strengthens Israel's strategic position in the world, and it is also worth noting the signing of the historic agreement with Morocco.

This success shows the beautiful face of Israel as one that stands at the forefront of the biggest challenges."



Are you already preparing for the overlap with the next minister?


"I think that the incoming minister is getting an amazing infrastructure of many national projects.

And whoever comes will understand that he is in one of the most important offices for the future of Israel's economy, and has the potential to reduce social gaps."



Can you say that this is the office you enjoy the most?


"There was something different in each office. I think it was more connected to my natural professional DNA. I didn't do the wealth law, for example, through an office. That's what's amazing about politics, that you're in the right place with the vision in the right place, you often influence Regardless of the office you sit in. I always tell my team in the government that it is enough to know 20% of what you want, but the rest of the time to be persistent, and not stop pushing it forward."

  • Of money

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  • Orit Farkash HaCohen

  • Ministry of Science and Technology

  • Ministry of Tourism

Source: walla

All business articles on 2022-12-09

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