Economy Minister Nir Barkat went on the offensive against the Finance Ministry on Wednesday, ahead of a vote on the budget in its first reading later.
Barkat said at a meeting of the Economy Committee: "I would like to turn to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. You understand the importance and responsibility of what I'm talking about, to make sure businesses don't collapse, to reservists. I don't support the budget. If we don't get at least the required 250 million shekels."
"We all see in the same way an obligation to help businesses and the economy. We are committed to continue the fighting until the end, until a complete victory and to make every effort to return hostages, we are committed to strengthening the Israeli economy, this is a significant chapter in the war, the best way to understand the challenges and provide solutions is to go down and reach the field. You see the hardships and they are very difficult. Defendants' life projects about to crash businesses on the verge of collapse, what have they done? Start a business? Believe in their dream, want to make dreams come true.
"Want to emphasize the periphery and development areas, salting came along and presented them with challenges they don't know how to solve alone. All their lives they paid income tax, they supported people who work for them with dignity, and today they cry out for help. Waiting for us to help them. They trust the government, expect a mutual guarantee between government and business. They are counting on being provided with quick, accurate assistance to solve the challenges. We need to think of them like our children, how to help them succeed. We have a great difficulty, when we go down to the field they come back and they don't understand us in the treasury. The Finance Ministry doesn't return our phones, it's cut off from the proceedings and I'm pained for that.
"They didn't go down (the Treasury; J.S.) with us in the field and asked how we could help. So a situation has arisen in which we abandon them to their fate, I will not give such a thing a hand. I don't want businesses in the south and north to collapse because of the war. Telling them that we don't have the necessary resources is unthinkable. We guarantee them."
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