Minister Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) on Friday dismissed the notion that there are some Israelis who are starved for food due to being laid off following the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview on the Ofira & Berkovic show on Channel 12, Hanegbi said, "The notion that people have nothing to eat is nonsense. There are a million unemployed people who, until today, have been paid unemployment, and now we have to get them back to work. There are businesses that have been harmed and are in dire straits but saying that they have nothing to eat is populism."
"As someone who interacts with the public, the phrase 'there is nothing to eat' is excessive. The public understood the need to shut down the economy. Now we are fighting tooth and nail to prevent the economy from closing again in order to prevent a situation where people will have nothing to eat down the road."
When the hosts criticized Hanegbi's claims and said that he is out of touch with reality, the Minister replied, "You are out of touch. You do not understand what populism is, that would be just shouting and shouting. The government and people in the Treasury are trying to balance the needs of the public and the needs of the poor. You cannot pour money indefinitely."
On the issue of Israel applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, Hanegbi said, “More than a million Likud voters want sovereignty in Israel. We should take advantage of the window of opportunity, where there is an American President who adopts the approach that says sovereignty is part of any future arrangement and we will do so regardless of any other issue."
Asked why sovereignty is not being applied if that is the case, he replied, "There will be annexation. We do not call it annexation but rather applying Israeli sovereignty like we did in the Golan Heights and eastern Jerusalem."
On the question of whether Benny Gantz will be Prime Minister in accordance with the rotation agreement with the Likud, Hanegbi said, "He will be if he does not succumb to the pressures exerted on him. I want Benny Gantz to be Prime Minister because we made an agreement and it should be respected."
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)