Lapid: In ‘dangerous’ move, Netanyahu denying there’s an economic crisis

Opposition leader Yair Lapid blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his comments, after the economy’s second quarter reflects the steepest contraction in over four decades, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“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,” says Lapid, at his weekly Yesh Atid-Telem faction meeting.

“I don’t know if there will be elections in November, but I do know that there will be an economic crisis in November. Businesses will go bankrupt, people won’t be able to pay their mortgages, they’ll lose their homes. Young people will up and leave. The numbers are scary. 30,000 businesses have 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.”

An analysis of the Israeli economy by Channel 12 on Sunday night indicated Israel’s position was better than the US and some European countries, but worse than numerous others.

Continues Lapid: “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 makes the right decisions. Here the government has failed, Netanyahu has failed… The government hasn’t only ceased to function, it has ceased to recognize reality.”

Lapid again called for Netanyahu to resign, saying that the premier cannot run the country while on trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

“Netanyahu has lost control of the economy and we will pay the price. During a crisis, a prime minister needs to make tough decisions, that’s the job. Netanyahu can’t make tough decisions because of his legal situation, not 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,” he says.