Deputy Minister of Transportation (Likud) Tzipi Hotevely is calling on her party leader, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, to fire Finance Minister Yair Lapid, the sooner the better.

“Lapid is trying to cover up his lack of achievements and he is causing great damage to the country” stated Hotevely, adding “the prime minister must fire Lapid and take control of the nation’s economy and not permit a notable populist [continue in his capacity]”.

Persons in the inner circle of both ministers, Netanyahu and Lapid are not denying the ongoing disagreements between the two, with each blaming the other of attempting to topple the coalition to bring the nation to early elections.

On Sunday, Knesset Finance Committee Chairman (Bayit Yehudi) Nissim Slomiansky said “National security is important, very important but it is not an only son. There is also education, health and welfare which are foundation stones of the nation’s society. The recent days of slowdown mustn’t lead to an increase in taxes and we may not order an additional slashing of the budget to the contrary, we must invest in economic growth. Therefore the security establishment will have to compromise on the increase of its budget to 5 billion from 6 billion shekels in the 2015 budget”.

Speaking at a Shabbos cultural event Yesh Atid MK Ofir Shelach, a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee said the prime minister is leading the nation to early elections as a result of his action regarding the state budget. Shelach accuses Prime Minister Netanyahu of intentionally going head-to-head with Lapid to compel early elections.

On the other hand, persons close to the prime minister insist the reason Lapid is so insistent regarding the state budget is to create an untenable situation that will lead to early elections. The latter scenario however is less likely as recent polls show Lapid’s party will lose most of its power base if elections are held today.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)