Responding to Bayit HaYehudi leader Naftali Bennett, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid explained the source of the national deficit, “The settlers”, referring to the residents of yishuvim throughout Yehuda and Shomron.
Bennett lashed out at Lapid for failing to release a statement regarding a strike at the Port of Ashdod. Lapid responded after the jab from Bennett, opting to direct his comments against the residents of those communities.
He supported the rights of workers to unionize to protect their rights, extrapolating from this “we cannot permit an extortionist sector that costs the nation billions of NIS, money that could be allocated to education… It isn’t about right-wing and left-wing, or being centrist.”
He blames the settlements for soaking up billions of NIS in state funding for the construction of roadways, monies that should be spent elsewhere. He cited the enormous manpower to protect small communities and outposts. This he insists is not about politics but responsible spending and the national deficit.
According to Lapid, if one puts the politics aside, the Arab Israel conflict aside, the yishuvim are simply sector which takes the funds from middle class Israelis because “they can”.
He admits that most of the “settlers are patriots”, and they too must bear the burden, in this case, the financial burden.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
However the people in the West Bank would be receiving services if they lived in Tel Aviv as well. And he ignores that the money spent on defending “settlements” would need to spent defending the green line” (as evidence by the withdrawal from Gaza which ended up increasing the costs of defending souther Israel from attacks that wouldn’t have occured had the settlements been there).
It seems that demonizing people is part of Lapid’s style, as he alternating between Hareidim and people in the West Bank.
If you put the Arab Israeli conflict aside, there are no “settlers” or “occupied terrirtory.” There is only the State of Israel, as it should be.