Lapid
LapidFlash 90

Knesset Opposition Chairman MK Yair Lapid today spoke at the opening of the Yesh Atid-Telem faction meeting in the Knesset: "The government hasn't only ceased to function, it has ceased to recognize reality. It refuses to accept that the unpaid leave program is a terrible mistake, it needs to be cancelled and replaced with the German model."

Lapid continued: "Netanyahu responded to the terrible new economic figures by saying, 'this is very good economic news.' That's not just detached, it's dangerous. A Prime Minister during a crisis denies that the crisis exists. He denies reality. Nero fiddles while Rome burns."

Lapid offered "three facts from the past 24 hours":

"One - the school year won't start properly, there aren't enough teachers, there aren't enough computers. The government didn't prepare, they suddenly discovered that the school year starts on September 1st. What a shock! Two - our economy declined in the last quarter by 28.7%, the largest crash in 40 years. Three - there is no national budget and it isn't clear when there will be one.

"Netanyahu responded to the terrible new economic figures by saying, 'this is very good economic news.' That's not just detached, it's dangerous. A Prime Minister during a crisis denies that the crisis exists. He denies reality. Nero fiddles while Rome burns.

"I don't know if there will be elections in November but I do know that there will be an economic crisis in November. Business will go bankrupt, people won't be able to pay their mortgage, they'll lose their homes. Young people will up and leave. The numbers are scary. 30,000 businesses already collapsed. By the end of the year that number will rise to 70,000. Unemployment is at a record high. The coronavirus crisis has hit everywhere but figures like this don't exist anywhere else.

"Compare these figures to Finland, New Zealand, Greece, Germany. They all have better numbers because there is one difference - in all those countries there is a functioning government which takes the right decisions. Here the government has failed, Netanyahu has failed. Unemployment, the most important figure during a crisis, is three times higher in Israel than the European Union. Five times higher than Germany or Korea. Half of those unemployed are under the age of 34.

"The government hasn't only ceased to function, it has ceased to recognize reality. It refuses to accept that the unpaid leave program is a terrible mistake, it needs to be cancelled and replaced with the German model.

"Netanyahu has lost control of the economy and we will pay the price. During a crisis a Prime Minister needs to take tough decisions, that's the job. Netanyahu can't take tough decisions because of his legal situation, no in a government of 36 ministers and not when he's constantly on the way to new elections. His solution is denial but that's not a solution. The person who caused the collapse can't fix it. Netanyahu needs to resign. It's not too late to fix this mess but time is running out," Lapid concluded.