Netanyahu: We’ll get there
On two-year anniversary as Finance Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu sets new goal: western European economic standards within a decade
Netanyahu added: “two years ago when the Israeli economy was floundering, we came and presented a recovery plan and gave certain predictions. Some laughed, some ignored, but today we can all see the results.”
He quoted The Economist magazine predictions that Israel will be the fastest growing economy in the West in the course of the next couple of years. “For years we haven’t set any economic or social goals, I want to do so here. In fact, the past two years were the beginning of what we’re doing,” Netanyahu said.
He added: “Israel has been sliding down the slope for a long time; but other countries, smaller than us, in fact, jump started, ran up the slope, climbed like tigers and made it to the top.”
He even named names. “Ireland, the third richest country in the world in terms of income per capita. Cyprus has been running passed us. The question is, what’s going on here, why are we in a slope and they run to the top,” he said.
To sum up, Netanyahu gave a positive overview of Israel’s counterparts. “When such countries run to the top, what happens is that all poverty and unemployment problems fade away. Suddenly there are budgets, social needs are taken care of, everybody makes more money,” he said.
