Netanyahu: Cancel budget cuts affecting the weak

PM instructs Treasury to omit State budget bill articles that would hurt Holocaust survivors, handicapped; earlier Histadrut chief Eini says will ask Labor chief Barak to quit coalition if problematic articles are not canceled

Roni Sofer |Last update: 05.07.09 , 21:06

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the Treasury to omit the State budget bill articles that would affect Israel's struggling socioeconomic echelons, including Holocaust survivors, handicapped people and the elderly.

The PM's Office said Thursday evening that after studying the proposed cuts throughout the day ahead of cabinet's decisive meeting on the matter, scheduled for Sunday, Netanyahu ordered the Treasury to conduct separate discussions on the problematic articles with the relevant ministers starting Friday.

Earlier Thursday, Histadrut Labor Federation Chairman Ofer Eini threatened to work toward dismantling Netanyahu's coalition unless the State budget bill, which outlines major, lateral cuts in all bureaus for 2009 and 2010, is not revised.

The bill, meant to be put to a Knesset vote next week, has already been deemed brutal, since many of its articles call for cuts which would affect the struggling socioeconomic echelons.

"Unless the government comes to its senses and cancels the cuts that threaten the lower economic echelons, I will see to it that Ehud Barak resign from the coalition and dissolve the government," said Eini, who is a close associate of the Labor Party chairman.

The Histadrut Labor Federation chief met with Netanyahu's advisor Uri Regev earlier to discuss the matter.

Senior government officials have suggested that some of the proposed cuts are aimed at causing a public uproar that would in turn pressure the Histadrut into accepting cuts that would affect workers.

One of Eini's aides said in response to the speculations that "they can forget it. The rules of the game have changed and the era of one –sidedness has ended. The Treasury will discuss the cuts against the workers with us and debate the social cuts with the politicians – or else the government will be toppled."