Transportation Minister and National Union chairman Bezalel Smotrich was interviewed by the Knesset Channel on Sunday and discussed the efforts to assemble a government as well the fatal road accidents which occurred over the weekend.
Smotrich continues to call for a broad unity government which would include the parties that see Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. In such a government, he said, not everyone would receive everything they want, but the important issues would be promoted. "We put aside ambitions and mobilize as much as possible and as broadly as possible in order to make difficult decisions in the economic and security fields and do good for the State of Israel."
There is no reason why the government should not include his party, he added. "I do not see a reason that a government formed will boycott a sector, a party or an individual. If anyone wants to boycott religious Zionism, one of the most contributing, most idealistic groups that fills the combat units in the military and the educational systems, a public that is truly an idealist, it is just as illegitimate to boycott the haredim, or boycott parts of the secular-left public in the State of Israel.”
Smotrich commented on the large number of fatalities in road accidents this past weekend, saying, "It's a shocking figure. I asked that in the next few days, there be a full day of an education workshop in my office with ministry professionals and the National Road Safety Authority and other organizations like Or Yarok, in order to understand what we as a state, as a Transportation Ministry can and should do more to combat this scourge, it is terrible and horrible."
"This must not under any circumstances be taken as a fate that cannot be changed. We will do what we can," he added.
Investigations of recent accidents found that the human element was responsible, said Smotrich. "Today, the vast majority of accidents are the product of the human element. Most of the infrastructure is already very good and forgiving of mistakes but there is still a lot of technology to put in, there is a lot of education, information and enforcement work that needs to be done and the human factor lays the responsibility first and foremost on each of the road users, whether they are a driver or a pedestrian or a cyclist. But we, as a state, also have a responsibility to look after the human element - to teach it, to educate it, to make it aware, and to enforce wherever it is necessary in order to produce deterrence. At the end of the day, anyone who goes on the road needs to know that he has a responsibility for life, both his own and those of the other road users around.”