Bibi: I’m not quitting

Finance Minister Netanyahu dismisses recent speculation, says he won’t resign over pullout
By Doron Sheffer

JERUSALEM - He's not going anywhere: Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied Wednesday morning rumors he is planning to quit over the disengagement plan.

 

“I’m not about to quit. Does someone imagine I intend to resign during the huge economic reforms we’re managing now, such as the tax and capital market reforms?” Netanyahu said during the Caesarea Conference in Jerusalem.

 

 

The finance minister, who visited the United States recently, reportedly consulted with his supporters regarding his next moves and whether he should resign once the pullout gets under way.The difficult images of the IDF razing abandoned Gaza Strip structures and clashing with settlers made the decision more difficult, with rumors about Netanyahu’s intention to quit unnerving stock market investors.

 

The finance minister also said the pullout’s cost to the Israeli market would reach NIS 8-10 billion in the next three years.

 

“From an economic standpoint…this (pullout) won’t help us,” he said. “This is a lot of money. We could have done much with it for the elderly and the sick….We could have done many things.”