Moshe Kahlon
Moshe KahlonFlash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu approached former Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and offered him to be in charge of the economic aspect of the coronavirus crisis alongside Prof. Ronni Gamzu, Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday.

Kahlon was reportedly offered an opportunity to formulate the economic policy going forward, while receiving powers similar to the ones Gamzu received from the Ministry of Health.

At the same time, the Prime Minister turned to outsiders to pressure Gamzu and convince him to change his approach to the crisis - thus bringing him closer to the position of the Prime Minister and the head of the National Security Council, who are leaning towards imposing restrictions on the public.

The Prime Minister asked the officials to pressure Gamzu to change his approach and to make his recommendations more stringent. Netanyahu fears that the way Gamzu is treating the crisis could create complacency among the public, so he is trying through external parties to pressure on him and get him to take the approach of the Prime Minister and the head of the National Security Council.

Channel 12 News reported that Netanyahu and Gamzu's opposing views were expressed at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday night, during which the Prime Minister proposed a stricter approach to reduce the number of infections. On the other side, Gamzu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein took a more lenient approach.