MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Rav Yaakov Litzman spoke with Kol Berama Radio on Wednesday evening the eve of Tu B’Shevat 5774. Litzman explained that when he and his colleagues have been saying the national deficit could not be as severe as reported during his months in office by Finance Minister Yair Lapid, no one listened.

Litzman explained that at a session of the Knesset Finance Committee earlier in the day the truth came out and he learned immediately that he was correct, and that Lapid was lying all along, backed by officials in the treasury who remained silent and backed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who preferred to remain silent too. Litzman added “If Lapid would learn Gemara he would understand מילתא דעבידא לגלויי לא מישקרא אינשי. Litzman explained that Lapid launched a fear campaign, leading the nation to believe if he does not implement a plan for drastic austerity the nation would plummet into a fiscal abyss.

Litzman points out the entire campaign of increasing value added tax from 17 to 18%, cutting monthly child allowance payments, cutting aid to yeshivos; cutting life for the middle class was one colossal lie, nothing less. Litzman demands that Lapid immediately lower VAT back to 17% for this is something that everyone feels every day.

When asked if the chareidim will respond to recent gestures by Bayit Yehudi to enter the coalition to replace Yesh Atid, Litzman stated “if he reverses everything he has done, and I mean everything, withoutexception, then and only then I would take it to the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael to contemplate such a move, not a moment before.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)