Despite the coalition crisis in the government, in blue and white continue to broadcast business as usual.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Orit Farkash HaCohen, tells in a special interview with "Israel Today" about the plan it is promoting and the preparations for the state budget for the years 2024-2023 - which the Treasury hopes to pass as early as this coming June.
The Minister reveals that the party's demand in the next budget will be to promote the reform of the Free Education Act for 3-0-year-olds.
She is pushing for this personally, and the goal is to help working couples and alleviate the rising cost of living, "until we address the big housing price challenge."
This is a five-year program that will be implemented in stages and will cost the state billions of shekels.
"Will save thousands of shekels"
How do you lower the cost of living?
"There is no reason why toiletries and food products should be so expensive, especially when it is due to a lack of sufficient competition in the market. Some products are divided between 3-2 distributors who raise prices because they can. I very much support the finance minister's steps. "We have promoted parallel budget import reforms, and I myself am in many talks with the finance and health ministers to allow competitive imports of toiletries immediately, because for some reason this reform has been postponed for more than a year, 'as if' for health reasons."
Minister Orit Farkash HaCohen, Photo: Gideon Markovich
How do you make it easier for young couples to buy an apartment?
"The truth must be told - the elephant in the room is housing prices. When you see an increase of more than 15% in one year, there is a serious problem here, it is a result of many years and a combination of corona and war that does not alleviate this great challenge.
"I think that alongside the steps we have begun to take, there should also be a lot more emphasis on long-term rentals, there should be incentives for people to sell second and third apartments - that is, not just sanctions, but positive incentives.
"I'm mainly thinking about what can be done for the young couples in the country, until we address the big challenge of housing prices. One of the things I promote is a historic decision - free education for 3-0 year olds. It's an investment in the next generation, it will also make it easier for young couples to work.
"Emphasis should be placed on working couples and also caring for young women, many of whom are unemployed, because they sit as a couple and calculate what is more profitable for them - to go to work or pay for childcare. It will save several thousand shekels a month and help young couples greatly."
You describe beautiful plans, but the question is will the current government survive?
"You are right, there is a coalition crisis and it cannot be taken lightly, and I very much hope that we can continue this work and move a budget because the things I have talked about require a budget and a five-year economic plan to implement them.
"Lieberman plans to pass the budget in June despite the coalition crisis and we are preparing for it. I am coordinating the budget issue in blue and white and we have already started talking to party members about important issues. The issue that matters to me is education. And not as the data currently show. Also the issues of the cost of living and free education for 3-0 year olds. "
The high-tech industry,
Free Education Law 3-0 will enter the budget 2024-2023?
"I push in this direction. I think it is a very important step, it will help thousands of shekels a month for young couples who groan under the cost of living, but it requires governmental stability and government. And it is not up to us.
" Blue and white is committed to this government, That she will rise.
We could have any government we wanted, but the fact that this government works is very important.
"There is still time until the end of the recess in the Knesset, and we will see how things develop and in the meantime we must remember that the opposition has no ability to form a government at the moment."
"A place for improvement"
Gantz will join Netanyahu?
"No and no. I do not see this happening. I think most of the public in Israel does not want a fifth round of elections, it is bad for the public, for the state coffers, for security, and everything must be done to avoid it."
Defense Minister Ganz, Photo: GPO
According to CBS data, tens of thousands of high-tech engineers are missing. How do you resolve the crisis?
"This issue has preoccupied me greatly since I took office. From the Israeli periphery, women and Arabs.
"We see that there is room for great improvement so that every child in the country has an equal opportunity to integrate into this industry. The fact that the industry is at an all-time high, with large companies based in Israel, requires us to take some short- and long-term actions, all of which I promote as Minister of Science and Technology.
"I have set intermediate goals for the Innovation Authority to include tens of thousands of Israelis in the high-tech worlds in the next year and a half, and the Authority is committed to this and will work with other partners in the government. I believe this is the beginning of a long-term start.
"The education program I am promoting with the education minister is also in line, although it is a longer-term step. It is a challenge that will require the involvement of universities, of faculty creation, to encourage more and more people to be trained in this field. All programs are currently being prepared."
Recently, the government passed a decision on the construction of a high-tech complex in East Jerusalem as well.
"Jerusalem has great potential to be much more significant in terms of technology and high-tech than it actually is - it has amazing universities and research institutes, leading hospitals and schools in the country and more. The establishment of innovation districts is a phenomenon that is developing around the world."
How will the war in Eastern Europe affect the high-tech industry?
"The war in Ukraine is a terrible thing, but immigration to Israel has created an opportunity for Israeli high-tech. There is immigration from Russia and Ukraine, and in this aspect we had to improve the process of absorbing and bringing in groups who want to come as a bloc, as a society.
Russian soldiers on the streets of Mariupol, Ukraine, Photo: AFP
"Together with the Minister of the Interior and with the blessing of the Minister of Finance, we have created an outline that, as part of the absorption of this wave, also creates an environment that allows start-ups and technology companies from these places to establish themselves in Israel or bring a significant number of workers here.
"It just pays off for the state and it's good for the economy. Overall, the more high-tech workers - the better for the state coffers. People do not understand this, but almost 11% of employees in Israel are employed in high-tech and are responsible for a quarter of the state's income tax. "The high-tech industry introduced three times more taxes into the state coffers in the past year than expected, and the high-tech industry is also responsible for Israel's very good data."
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