Livni. 'No equal burden'
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Itzik. 'Worst government ever'
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Livni on price hikes: Netanyahu lying
Opposition chairwoman slams prime minister in special Kadima press conference, says 'government betrayed the public's trust'
Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni
on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
of lying to the public. She spoke during a special press conference convened by the Kadima
faction convened as part of the opposition's struggle against recent price hikes
in the Israeli economy.
According to the opposition leader, the prime minister decided to hold discussions on the matter only after seeing the protests, hearing the Histadrut labor federation's strike threats and being slammed by members of his own party.
"This government took all the hopes and betrayed the public's trust," Livni said. "Israel is losing. This government is like the three monkeys – it doesn't see, doesn't hear and doesn't speak… Actually, all it does is speak."
Too Much Pressure
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"They only talk when they suffer political damage – not because the citizens are being hurt, but because they feel their seat is rocking. That's when they start holding discussions, and then they talk and try to make decisions. Their seat is not only rocking, it must fall," Livni stated.
She accused the government of hurting the country's citizens. "With every day of this government's rule, Israel loses and its citizens lose. The State's citizens feel that the only unimplemented word is equality. There is no equal burden.
"These good people, who get up for work, who serve in the army, in the reserve forces, who seek a good education, want to wake up in the morning and drive to work with their car or public transportation, want to drink water. And this government is increasing the burden up to the point that when the citizens want to eat bread, they have to use their savings."
Livni went on to address the situation in Israel, two years after the Knesset elections. "For the citizens, petrol, water and bread are not luxury. We have good citizens and a bad government. Two years later, this government must be replaced. Kadima will replace this government."
She ruled out any possibility of Kadima joining the government. "Once Netanyahu has refused to do what is right for the State of Israel, we won't help him survive," she said.
'Head of tax government'
Kadima Faction Chairwoman Dalia Itzik attacked the prime minister as well. "There is nothing Netanyahu has touched which hasn't been damaged. I believe Israel deserves a different leadership. There is a great public outcry today – enough is enough.
"It's really way out of his league. He is head of the tax government. Before the elections he said he would reduce taxes, but has raised taxes more than any other prime minister. This is the worst government the State of Israel ever had," she said. "I have gut feeling that this will be an election year."
Knesset Member Meir Sheetrit was next to speak. He said the economy was the main issue these days. "A total of 65.9% of the income goes to the upper class, compared to the lower class which gets about 13%. This is a distorted and cruel government."
In a statement issued Tuesday, the Kadima faction attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu on the backdrop of the water, bread, petrol, property tax and housing price hikes.
"The supreme finance minister is Netanyahu, and no artificial attempt to shirk responsibility will succeed. Netanyahu has launched a war on the middle class and disadvantaged population, a war in which he will defeated and will be forced to capitulate," the statement said.
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