On video: Bezalel Smotrich: "I made a decision on a broad economic policy"/Knesset Channel
Another senior official, with good intentions and no authority, fell under the stretcher.
This time it is the turn of the head of the Civilian Control Center, Tal Basaks, who announced late last night that he is resigning from his position - less than three months after the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, celebrated his appointment, after failed attempts to fill the position.
"I informed the Minister of Finance of my request to end my position as the head of the civilian control center," Basaks wrote on his Facebook page. "About a month after the war began, I was called to Degal to fill the position.
Despite my efforts and working around the clock, I found that the STL does not have the necessary powers and tools to fulfill the responsibility assigned to it. Because of this, and out of public responsibility, I decided to terminate my position."
"Thought to hold press conferences every night like the Hagari IDF spokesman." Tal Basachs/official website, photo: Ritvo photography
Sources privy to the details say, wow!
that the "Hasmlat" was not established because of necessity or need, but to promote the desire of the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, to appropriate the care of the civilian home front, and to strengthen his position as someone who serves the small citizen. "Smotrich wanted to show that he was doing something , without defining the position in advance, but doing a round of public relations," they said.
The goals of the SDF, as stated by the Minister of Finance, lacked focus and included broad definitions - including "ensuring civil functional continuity, the concentration of care for the evacuated population, coordination of all public initiatives and information to the public." In this framework, the head of the SDF is supposed to be the executive arm of Smotrich in the socio-economic cabinet.
Here is the place to mention that the cabinet has not functioned since the appointment of the government, and that even during the war it was convened only twice, so that there are not too many tasks to perform on its behalf.
Once it was established, it was necessary to find someone to head the new and redundant directorate in advance.
The first candidate was Brigadier General Moshe Adri, who realized very quickly that the position was empty, politely refused the offer and remained in his position as head of the Takuma Directorate.
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"There was no real need, but the finance minister wanted to show that he was doing something."
Bezalel Smotrich/screenshot, Ministry of Finance
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After him, Smotrich brought in another promising candidate - the CEO of the Electric Company, Meir Spiegler - who desired the position, but encountered the opposition of the then Minister of Energy Israel Katz.
The latter demanded that Spiegler resign from an electrical company and not hold both positions at the same time, something that Spiegler was not willing to do.
Tal Basches, CEO of the Matansim company, was tempted to be the "useful idiot" of the Minister of Finance, even though senior officials in the public service told him that this was a recipe for career disaster.
But he, according to his associates, felt a real and patriotic need to join the national effort.
This need, it seems, got him into quite a bit of trouble.
"The role of rehabilitation, which was empty of content anyway - has become unnecessary."
Destruction in Kibbutz Bari/Uri Sela
"Tal is a great man," testifies a high-ranking official who met with him more than once for meetings during the recent period, "but he should have left two months ago and not wait so long. The idea for a projector that would synchronize between government ministries came up after Yossi Shelley, CEO The Prime Minister's office, which is supposed to do this, did not function. From the moment Sax was appointed until the appointment was approved by the government, three weeks passed in which Shelly took the reins and turned the position, which was empty of content before, into unnecessary, because he was left without powers and without a budget."
Initially, there was talk of a budget of 15 billion shekels for the FSA, with eight officials. In practice, not even a NIS was transferred there, and every appointment that Saxes tried to make was met with opposition. Apart from agreeing to upgrade his salary to the salary of a CEO, subject to his departure from the FSA from the Matan company "Sim, to which he will return now.
"Tal took office with a truly ambitious spirit, held meetings upon meetings with the government ministries and everyone told him the same thing, that they were doing just fine without him and they pushed him all the way down the steps. What CEO of a government ministry would let him interfere in what is happening at his place?"
"He took the reins, and left Bessex without powers and budgets."
Director General of the Prime Minister's Office Yossi Shelli/Official website, no
According to the sources, when he realized in Saxe that his wish would not be fulfilled, he said that he would concentrate on information, "which was one of the original goals of the Israel Defense Forces."
But even here, everything was occupied.
The national information system is working, and what content could it take to it?
He has nothing to explain, because he produces nothing.
So he asked to gather the messages of the government ministries and explain to the public.
And again - which office will let him explain what is happening at his place?"
Sources who have been in contact with Basaks in the past months say that he aspired to function in a similar way to IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari and to hold daily press conferences, in order to create daily contact between the government and the citizens, who crave information Trusted - but no one took him seriously or bothered to provide him with the necessary information. "This is another failure of Smotrich, who preferred public relations over content.
Instead of giving him the authority to handle the evacuees of the north and the rehabilitation of the settlements there, because there is no one to do it at the moment, he failed him."
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