Social team holds first meeting
Head of 'Rothschild team,' tasked with negotiating with social protest leaders, hopes 'to instigate positive change'
The "Rothschild team," appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to negotiate with the leaders of the nationwide protest movement, met for the first time Tuesday to discuss possible solutions social unrest.
Professor Manuel Trachtenberg, who heads the committee which consists of ministers and economic experts, said that he was "thrilled at the rare opportunity to instigate positive change in our beloved state. We have no choice but to succeed in the mission. This committee is different from others in light of the need for social sensitivity."
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Trachtenberg noted the significance of the fact that the meeting took place on Tisha B'Av, the day marking the destruction of Jerusalem's first and second temples.
"This is an emotional event, and it is one of the toughest days on the Hebrew calendar. But beyond destruction it also symbolizes a new beginning for the Jewish people," he said. "I hope that the commencement of the team's work on this day will symbolize the beginning of a better future."
'Change won't be easy'
He said that the protest movement is "an expression of longing for something real, that is called social justice," and added that "the change depends on our listening ability, and our ability to translate the public whisper into the language of professional understanding and the language of political doing. It's not an easy endeavor, but we will do it together."
Netanyahu appointed Trachtenberg to head the team on Sunday, and pledged to provide him with any assistance he may need. The government said that the team would hold a "round table" discussion on the issues at hand and then convey its recommendations to the socioeconomic cabinet, headed by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, who will in turn author solutions and offer them up for approval by Netanyahu and the government.
Senior sources in the Likud questioned Netanyahu's decision to name over a dozen socioeconomic cabinet members to the social team.
"It's unclear how a small committee that was supposed to come up with rapid solutions for specific problems turned into such an extensive forum," a senior source told Ynet. "It's doubtful that the committee would be able to come up with any real solutions."
Boaz Fyler contributed to the report
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