Yoav Ben-Tzur
Yoav Ben-TzurHezki Baruch

On Sunday, Deputy Interior Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur (Shas) participated in a dedication ceremony for the new local council building in the Binyamin region, and spoke with Arutz Sheva on some of the pressing issues of the day – primarily focusing on the likelihood that new elections will be called within days.

“Elections are not a good thing,” he stressed, “and I wish it were possible to once again postpone the final date by which the budget has to be passed. I still have hopes that good sense will prevail, however,” he added.

“Our party leader [Interior Minister Aryeh Deri] is doing everything he can to try to avert elections,” he said, “especially at this difficult time – in economic, health, and security terms. This is absolutely the wrong time to be holding elections. It’s a time that we should be using to focus on getting the country back on its feet, bolstering the economy, and assisting new communities.”

Despite the fact that tensions within the unity government have been in existence for months already, Ben-Tzur still expressed optimism that they could be overcome for the future. “Anyone who really wants to get his job done, can do so,” he stressed. “It’s all a matter of being determined to do the right thing.

“Despite the way things look now, I still have hopes that people will come to their senses and do what’s needed to push off elections,” he said. “Nobody stands to gain from holding elections now, and if people can bring themselves to set aside all their petty grievances and focus on what’s important, then we might just be able to save the day and do what’s needed for the country.”

סגן שר הפנים, יואב בן צור, בחנוכת מועצת בנימין