Everything needs to change after October 7. Absolutely everything. A variety of concepts such as "if they're good then we're good too" will disappear from our lives. Adding protected spaces, shielding and concrete walls should be replaced by going on the offensive. Neglect of social services, social cohesion and especially change that has already been quite internalized - take care and mainly, what is more important and what is less important.
Migonit at Reim Junction (Archive), photo: Oren Cohen
As part of the change, a significant change in the distribution of the state budget is also needed. A new Israeli agenda is needed. The economic issue is still not inflamed by the Israeli public, mainly because we have bigger troubles – abductees going through hell, fighters who are destroying their lives in Gaza, hundreds of dead, orphaned children and families who have fallen apart. And also because many Israelis still look at the state budget as a collection of numbers, percentages, economic discussions more identified with yellowing economic newspapers.
But the state budget is significant, decisive, fateful. He is the one who sets the agenda in the country, its priorities, what it wants to be. What is more important and what is less.
Which is more important? In the State of Israel, the answer is quite clear. For many years, security comes first. Yesterday, at the cabinet meeting on the budget, the prime minister laid out his simple doctrine: "Economic empowerment is where there is security," Netanyahu said. "When there is security, there is profitability, there are investments. It's a circle. The best growth engine is to bring confidence." The defense minister himself was in the meeting for an hour and left, but the work on his ministry's budget will continue for days. The defense establishment is asking for a doubling of its budget, which will reach a significant end of 220 billion over four years. In order to give it this, Smotrich and Netanyahu want to dive deeper into the issue of security, the concept of security, and understand what will be done with the money, how it will be as useful as possible – whether in buying planes and tanks, improving intelligence means, where it can be cut, and where the big money will come from.
No political correctness
After the defense and health budget, the State of Israel must pause from everything that has existed until now and declare impartially, without political correctness and without political interests who deserves more and who deserves less. After October 7, it's pretty clear who deserves more – donors first.
It is very easy to classify them today: the families of the fallen gave what was dearest to them, the reservists left a wife, a child and businesses collapsing to defend the state, members of the security forces from the Mossad, the Shin Bet, the police and all those involved in physical, mental medicine, welfare and giving. All of these have to go around with an iron swordfighter pin that opens doors, scores bureaucratic gates, eliminates topology, and provides more and more economic benefits.
There is room to cut back, now we need public courage and an understanding that everything needs to change. Like a household that in a difficult time cuts back on restaurants, movies, trips abroad, snacks, delicacies, summer camps and extracurricular activities. This is how the state can cut back. There is no ministry without fats, there is no headquarters that cannot increase efficiency, and that's before we started talking about unnecessary government ministries.
It is difficult to convince ministers that their ministries are luxurious, everyone has a logical explanation. The Minister of Culture has a good explanation for why football and theater are an island of sanity, the Minister of Religious Affairs can explain how mass revelry and prayers tear down the gates of heaven, give hope and change harsh decrees.
Miki Zohar suggested that the Ministry of Finance cut close to NIS 500 million, and the Minister of Religious Affairs understands that the NIS 105 million for the construction of additional mikvehs will have to be stopped.
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