Gafni vs. Goldknopf/Maariv
Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf reacted this evening (Saturday) for the first time to the downgrading of Israel's credit rating by Moody's, when he chose to condemn the timing of Netanyahu's announcement.
"The Prime Minister's announcement on Saturday regarding the credit rating was out of place," he wrote on his X account, which is operated by the minister's spokeswoman.
"This is not a matter of supervision, not an emergency issue, and not a response that could not be published at the end of Shabbat."
So far the minister has not directly addressed the decision of the credit rating agency.
MK Israel Eichler, chairman of the Labor and Welfare Committee in the Knesset from Goldknopf's party, also condemned Prime Minister Netanyahu's words.
"The Sabbath is the source of the blessing," he said.
"Because if I keep Shabbat, we will keep it. To publish announcements on Shabbat about the credit rating of economic propaganda parties, and to desecrate the Shabbat, which is trampled on at the head of every street, is an affront and a disgrace to the state."
The Prime Minister's announcement on Saturday regarding the credit rating was out of place.
This is not a matter of supervision, not an emergency issue, and not a response that could not be published at the end of Shabbat.
— Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf (@DOVRUTGoldknopf) February 10, 2024
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich did respond to the downgrade, claiming that the decision is political and does not include professional arguments.
The Minister of Finance said that the announcement "constitutes a political manifesto based on a pessimistic and unfounded geopolitical worldview, which reflects a lack of confidence in Israel's security and national strength, and apparently also a lack of confidence in the righteousness of its path in the face of its enemies."
Smotrich added that "we do not derive our national, security, social and economic strength from how we are judged in the world, but from a deep belief in the rightness of the way, which rests on a glorious past of thousands of years and a commitment to an even more glorious future. Moody's announcement will not undermine or weaken this either us in the war for our independence and sovereignty in the land of our homeland."
A powerful solution to pain
A revolutionary pain treatment technology has been approved by the FDA for home use
In collaboration with Solio
Minister of Construction and Housing Yitzhak Goldknopf/Government Press Office
More on the downgrade of Israel's credit rating:
Mr. Economics?
Mr. Security?
We are left with "Let the country burn"
Not only because of the war: the rating went down because the government is on a dead-end road
Smotrich vs. Moody's: "a political manifesto, without any serious economic argument"
For the first time ever: Israel's credit rating went down
"The sales record": a luxurious orthopedic mattress at an unprecedented price and a gift
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the company's decision and said that "Israel's economy is solid. The downgrade is not related to the economy, it is entirely due to the fact that we are at war. The rating will go back up as soon as we win the war - and we will win."
Contrary to Netanyahu's announcement that the downgrade "is entirely due to the fact that we are at war" - Moody's actually emphasizes the political reality in Israel and the expected upheaval regardless of the security risk: "One of the main reasons for the downgrade is the assessment that the exposure of the State of Israel to political risks could, with a high probability, continue In the foreseeable future, even if there is a decrease in intensity or a stop to the fighting in Gaza."
More on the same topic:
Yitzhak Goldknopf
Torah Judaism
Benjamin Netanyahu
Moody's
credit rating