Peretz: I'll strike deal with rabbis
Labor party leader says he would be able to integrate ultra-Orthodox into workforce; 'Israel's main leverage for growth is the peace process,' he says
A deal with the rabbis must be reached in order to integrate the ultra-Orthodox into the workforce, Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz said Friday during a meeting with the Industrial Trade Club.
"We must bring down the walls between the sectors. I believe that I am able to reach an agreement with Israel's important rabbis, so that productive work that provides honorable income will not take time away from Torah study," he said.
"If I am chosen, I plan to change the budget so that we will no longer have an annual budget, but rather a perennial one, possibly every three years," he said.
"Israel is in a difficult situation: There are 2.5 million workers, 1 million don't pay income tax and they are not tax evaders. They simply do not reach the tax threshold," he said. "They work hard and at the end of the day remain poor."
Peretz added that the only way to assist the weaker population is to raise the minimum wage.
"The attempt to position society as an antithesis to a healthy economy is a populist attempt," he said.
According to the Labor leader, Israel's main leverage for growth is the peace process, which would immediately affect the economy.
"My stance is unequivocal. The process must be accelerated. Establishing a Palestinian state is an Israeli interest, because they (Palestinians) would be more involved in developing their industries and less involved in terror," he said. "An end to the occupation of the territories is a moral issue, not political."
