"No need for a law, just a signature"

Tensions in the fragile coalition around the fruit and vegetable reform, promoted by Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman and his party member, Agriculture Minister Oded Forer, reached new hefty tones today (Monday), in statements issued by Lieberman and opponents of this reform, Labor and Blue and White.

Lieberman: “Trying to start negotiations, farmers said they would not come”

(Photo: Knesset Channel, Avi Chai)

Both of these parties favor farmers who oppose lowering tariffs on fruit and vegetable imports, and are furious at the progress of the move without their consent. While Deputy Defense Minister Alon Schuster of White Brush warned that “there will be a battle over it” – Lieberman claimed “dragging his feet” on the part of farmers in negotiations with them – and made it clear that he was determined to advance the reform.

This reform, which aims to reduce the high prices of fruits and vegetables, has long been a source of tension in the coalition, and in the face of a lack of consensus around it, it has been removed from budget discussions – concluding only after in-depth coalition discussions. But last Thursday, As first revealed on Ynet, Minister of Agriculture Forer published for public comments the draft order to lower the caps on fruits and vegetables.

The proposed order includes the immediate abolition of customs duties on some fruits and vegetables including avocados, garlic, mushrooms, peas, beans, figs, pineapples, artichokes and more. The goal: to quickly lower the consumption basket. According to the proposed order, the remaining tariffs on all fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables will be gradually reduced over six beats over a period of five years, in order to allow Israeli agriculture to adapt to the new situation.

Oded Forer in an interview with the Ynet studio

Opponents of the move claim that this is a violation of the summaries against them. At a meeting of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction in the Knesset this afternoon, Lieberman was asked about this, and replied that he and his people have been trying in recent months to restart negotiations with the farmers – who fear a fatal economic blow: ” I heard they announced that they would not come. “

Lieberman, it should be emphasized, praised the farmers in his words and said that they are “the salt of the earth.” He also promised to “directly support” those affected by lowering the caps – but made it clear that he was determined to implement the reform, so that “even the weaker sections can eat fruits and vegetables, instead of eating unhealthy food.”

Regarding opposition in the coalition, Lieberman said he did not intend to “have an argument with the partners, certainly not in the media,” but noted that passing the reform did not require passing legislation in the Knesset – a process that would require the support of other factions in the narrow coalition. “This is a signature of two ministers, and we are really determined to fight for a reduction in the cost of living,” the finance minister said.

In blue and white and at work, as mentioned, anger is expressed at the promotion of the reform without consents. In the afternoon, the chairman of the Labor Party and the Minister of Transport, Merav Michaeli, also addressed the crisis – who promised that her party would not allow any step to harm farmers. “Israeli agriculture is part of our Zionism, it is our food security, part of our values here. It simply can not be harmed, “she said.

“In order to lower prices, the marketing chains need to be taken care of. Farmers need to be supported, work collaboratively – as agreed in the framework of the work on the budget,” Michaeli added. She criticized the publication of the draft order by Minister Forer last week, a move she called “unilateral.” Michaeli also questioned the effectiveness of the proposed reform: “It will not bring down prices. Consumer protection must be done, but it is not a zero-sum game – on the contrary, both should be protected from abuse of excess power that marketing networks have.”

Earlier, a member of her party, Minister of Internal Security Amar Bar-Lev, said that the move promoted by Lieberman and Forer was “unacceptable.” At a conference in the Modi’in region under the title “Security of Rural Space,” Bar-Lev added: “It will not be in our school, we, the ministers of the Labor Party – and I am convinced that the other ministers who are members of this government – will not be given a hand. It can not be.”

Another harsh statement was made at the same conference this morning by Deputy Defense Minister Alon Schuster, with a white brush. He said that if Lieberman and Forer insisted on advancing the reform anyway, a “battle” would ensue. He said the two were “undermining the credibility of their promise” to coalition leaders on the eve of the submission of the state budget, which Schuster claimed they would not unilaterally advance.

Tensions in the coalition were not only around the reform of agricultural tariffs today: the bill promoted by MK Dudi Amsalem of the Likud – limiting the amount of money that can be used in primaries – met with opposition among some ministers when it came to a vote in the Ministerial Committee on Legislation. Saar, who supports this proposal despite the fact that it is being promoted by a Knesset member from the opposition, and whose goal, according to her estimates, is to harm MK Nir Barkat, a multi-millionaire businessman, in future Likud primaries.

The committee eventually approved Amsalem’s bill, which earned the nickname “Nir Barkat Law” And which limits the amounts of money spent by candidates in primary elections within the parties to NIS 100,000 per year. Its stated goal is to produce an equal starting point among the contestants. However, Minister of Labor Nachman Shai and Pnina Temano-Shta from a white brush opposed it, and the latter noted that this is a personal law. In the face of this opposition, Saar proposed that the coalition support a proposal in a preliminary reading, and then a coalition committee headed by him would be established, which would accompany the legislative proceedings.

Saar, it should be noted, has spoken out on the issue on several occasions in the past and said he opposes the effects of buying power with money. He explained that in his opinion it was important to make sure that private money would not give an unfair advantage in political life, and that the legislature should regulate this. In the past, MK Sharan Hashakel submitted a similar proposal, even when she was a MK on behalf of the Likud, and since she is now a member of the Justice Minister’s faction, her proposal may be linked to that of MK Amsalem.

Another proposal was unanimously approved today by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation: the one that aims to prevent incitement on social media, and which is severely criticized by the Likud – which its people call the “mouth-clogging law.” The debate between the coalition and the opposition reached a climax after opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu Post videos – in English – against the law, And against additional laws that he claims deprive an individual of liberties. Opponents of the proposal argue that it would be an opening for political or other content censorship, and that the issue should be addressed within the existing law.

A storm following the video in English published by Netanyahu, against the laws promoted by the coalition

(Photo: Uri Davidovich, Alex Gamburg, Shmulik Dodfor)

If the proposal is approved by the Knesset, Israel will thereby join Germany, Australia and other Western countries in the world that have led similar legislation, one that allows for the removal of posts on networks. The bill seeks to give a district judge the power to order the removal from social networks of content that has a real possibility of harming a person’s security, state security or public safety. The proposal submitted by Minister Saar is identical to a government proposal approved on first reading in 2017, during the tenure of Minister Gilad Ardan as Minister of Internal Security, and was stopped at the last minute by then-Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The proposal imposes two cumulative conditions for the removal of the content: The first is regarding the publication of content that constitutes a criminal offense. The second is advertising that has a real possibility of harming a person’s security, public safety or national security. According to the bill, in a hearing to be held in court on a request for removal of content, its advertiser, the service provider’s representative and the owner, manager or operator of the website will be invited.

“No need for a law, just a signature”

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