Daphni Leef: Trajtenberg played us

Social protest leaders reject Trajtenberg report as 'blatant insult' during special press conference. 'Summer of 2011 is over, but our protest continues,' Leef says

Boaz Fyler|Published: 09.27.11 , 12:56

Harsh criticism was leveled Tuesday morning against a report submitted by the Trajtenberg Committee, which was tasked with formulating a new socioeconomic agenda. In a press conference in Tel Aviv, social protest leaders and experts on their behalf slammed the committee's recommendations.

Daphni Leef described the report as a "blatant insult."

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"What have the citizens of Israel gotten? A reexamination of the cooking gas market? The committee played us."

Social protest leaders at Tuesday's press conference (Photo: Ben Kelmer)

Leef said the recommendations did not address the distress of single mothers, the homeless, the contract workers "and all the people this protest tried to represent."

"We're not looking back, we're looking ahead, the summer of 2011 is over, but our protest continues."

Professor Yossi Yona said at the press conference: "We are at a crucial stage in the protest and offering an outline for a practical change of our society which suffers from serious ailments. Repairing society cannot be based on narrow solutions."

Student Union Chairman Itzik Shmuli rejected the committee's recommendations and said: "It has to be said clearly – this committee had the chance to effect change, but this chance was missed."

Shmuli expressed his appreciation for Prof. Trajtenberg's courage and attention to the public but added, "We give this an incomplete grade."

On Monday, the Trajtenberg Committee submitted its report to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The recommendations, presented by Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, include the approval of 196,000 new apartments within five years, 20% of which will be allotted for affordable housing; increasing the Corporate Tax and Capital Gain Tax to 25%; reducing the prices of subsidized products like milk and eggs; implementing the Free Education Law from the age of three; encouraging the ultra-Orthodox sector to take part in national service and receive professional training; operating express buses from the periphery to central Israel and a 50% discount on public transportation for students.