PM vows to facilitate social reform

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the newly appointed head of the "Rothschild team", Professor Manuel Trachtenberg, for the first time. 

The meetings between Trachtenberg's team, and the protest leaders are to be held in a "round table" fashion, according to the PM's Office. Trachtenberg's team is then expected to present its conclusions to the special 18-minister social committee appointed by Netanyahu on Sunday.

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Other team members, set to join Trachtenberg at the negotiations' table, will include PM's Office Director-General Eyal Gabai, Head of the National Economic Council Prof. Eugene Kandel, new Treasury budget division chief Gal Hershkovitz, Tax Authority Director Yehuda Nasradishi, Chief Advisor to the Treasury Prof. Avi Simchon, Accountant General Michal Abadi-Boiangiu and social entrepreneur Shahar Cohen.

A second team, comprised of financial experts will include National Insurance Institute Director-General Esther Dominissini, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Israel Dr. Karnit Plog, Dr. Shlomi Parizat of the Israel Antitrust Authority, economist Dr. Yoram Gabay, Israel Prize winner Professor Pnina Klein, economist Dr. Tali Regev and IDC Herzliya Provost Professor Rafi Melnick. 

Netanyahu with Trachtenberg (Photo: GPO)

According to the PM's Office, Netanyahu pledged to provide Trachtenberg with any assistance he may need: "You asked me whether I, as prime minster, would be willing to modify priorities in order to lighten the burden of the citizen. I answered 'yes.' I'm going to provide you with the tools to do so," he said.

Trachtenberg had mentioned that his team was comprised of young members as well, "who can understand the public's state of mind these days."

Meanwhile, almost a month since the tent protest begun, the social protest leaders published a document introducing their vision for a "just Israel" as they see it. In their official position paper – formed by student representatives, tent city organizers and social organization delegates – the protesters called for a "more just, more humane State that cares for its citizens."

Protests continue on Rothschild Boulevard (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

In the historic position paper, the protest leaders demanded some of the following reforms:

• Bridging social, economical, national and gender-based gaps and creating a social consistent needed for the State's existence.
• Altering the economic system so as to allow for proper and satisfactory budgeting for the basic needs of the citizens.
• Reducing housing expenses, reaching full and fair employment and obtaining governmental supervision on fundamental products.
• Providing clear preferential treatment to the social and geographical periphery in the form of governmental attentiveness and allocations of resources and infrastructures.
• Promoting and caring for the essential needs of weaker social echelons, in particular of handicapped, elderly and sick populations.
• Investing in the citizen's education, health, personal security issues and more by the State.
• Offering real solutions for the vital needs in the fields of housings, transportation, public infrastructure via governmental intervention.
  

Protest leaders stressed that these key issues make up only part of their demands, as they were still drafting their visionary reform. 

"We expect the prime minster to define the authority of the team he established, as well as the issues it will deal with and its schedule," wrote protest leaders.

Meanwhile, Vice Premier and Minister for Strategic Affairs Moshe Yaalon warned Monday that unless the government heeds the public's demand for a comprehensive social change, the Likud will pay a hefty price come election time.

"We are facing a real problem. The middle class has a just case. I see my own children – their expenses are enormous. We have to 'divide the pie' differently."

Yaalon added that unless the government utilized the new social reform team properly, it is unlikely to see a second term.

Yoav Zitun contributed to this report

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