Raul Sargo and minister Goldknopf (photo: own album)
A spirit of unity filled the hall at the Barkan Winery where the professional conference and toast-raising ceremony for the Passover holiday of the Association of Builders Contractors and the Foundation for the Encouragement and Development of the Construction Industry was held.
At the conference, the participants discussed the important and urgent need to repair the rift in the Israeli public that deeply affects society, the economy and the construction and infrastructure industry in Israel.
The Minister of Construction and Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf told the contractors and industry executives: "I was sent to the Ministry of Housing to bring affordable housing to every couple in the Land of Israel, and if this government lasts, we will bring 30,000 more apartments than are currently being built and an annual addition of 600 million shekels for the renovation of public housing apartments. No can hear more the words, leaks and breaks on the apartments for this public. They have to live on my and my family's terms."
The minister added: "If we plan a construction addition and there is no contractor to build, we will not succeed. We are in a period of unprecedented prosperity. I tour the country and see construction and development that cannot be ignored. The infrastructure must match the dimensions of the construction and it is important that we have a strong construction industry that will meet the needs of modern construction We must not rest on our laurels, we must adopt technologies, prioritize sustainability and maintain our commitment to safety and professionalism. The public trusts us and we cannot disappoint them. We must maintain the safety of workers in the industry. It is the duty of contractors to ensure this. to produce what we all need."
Sargo: The conduct of the Bank of Israel is disconnected from reality
The Chairman of the Interior Committee in the Knesset, MK Yaakov, called on contractors to take a more active part in Knesset committees on economic issues concerning the housing and construction industry.
"I think, and I'm sure I'll receive criticism for this, that a representative of the contractors must be around the decision-making table. The Interior Committee currently has important issues on the table where you should make your voice heard. For example, the state should invest in urban renewal and should reduce barriers, but there are over half of the state that No contractor will go do urban renewal and this is our biggest task - urban renewal in the periphery. Tens of thousands of lives are at risk and the state must invest in this. You can take NIS 5-6 billion from the property tax fund and put it on the periphery."
The president of the Boni Ha'aretz Contractors Association, Raul Sargo, opened by wishing the incoming CEO of the association, Yigal Solvik, success in his position and said: At the moment, the Bank of Israel's activity to prevent inflation is not successful, it is affected by the world and extreme events of recent years. This period will end and in the meantime the impact on the construction industry And the infrastructure here in Israel is a severe impact, the full extent of which we will only understand after the world's inflation stops. Israel has a different characteristic of a lack of apartments. They say that our economy is strong and will face the soaring interest rate. We are a country that ran a marathon and successfully completed it, but now the conduct of the Bank of Israel is disconnected from reality. The government too It must intervene and raise the inflation target and change its approach in the way it manages the industry. The state hurts the apartment renters, the apartment buyers and does not look ahead. The time has come for it to come to its senses and completely change the way it manages construction."
"Judges are not angels"
The professional conference was not "clean" of the events of the day and a significant part of the things heard also referred to the prevailing social event in Israel - the legal reform.
The Minister of Construction and Housing, Yitzhak Goldknopf, addressed the issue when he said, "I think there is no real interest in the matter of electing two judges and I hope that reason will prevail over the controversy. It is important that your opinion be heard at the important intersections. We are in a socially challenging time, and we need to put emotions aside."
The Chairman of the Interior Committee in the Knesset, MK Yaakov Asher also addressed the issue of the impact of the struggle on legal reform and said, "There is a perception that judges are angels, but that is not true, so there is. There is an axiom that contractors are thieves, this is also not true."
The president of the Boni Ha'aretz contractors' association, Raul Sargo said in this context: "We are in a difficult time. I very much hope that the Knesset will reach agreements quickly. We can find ourselves in a post-war atmosphere, in such times prosperity comes."
Real estate
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Ministry of Construction and Housing
reform
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Jacob Asher