Opinion & Comment
Politica
"Prime Minister" Tommy Lapid

If any doubt still lingers as to who is the real Prime Minister--or at least who is really pulling the strings in the State of Israel--recently the matter became clear as a bell: Tommy Lapid. Meanwhile Shinui has turned into the strongest and most influential party despite the Likud's 40 MKs compared to Shinui's 15.

Two months ago the government authorized an NIS 1.1 billion ($250 million) cut in Bituach Leumi allowances--all allowances, including child support payments. The government also approved a university tuition hike by canceling fee discounts. The decision, made in the wee hours of the night after just a few minutes of discussion, raised the public's wrath. The media lodged harsh criticism against the Finance Ministry and Netanyahu, who then announced he would find alternative budget-trimming measures.

According to reports two days later, the Finance Ministry was considering canceling all cuts in Bituach Leumi allowances and instead reducing only the Child Support Payments for the first three children in every family. The reason given was that the previous cuts had the most pronounced effect on families with five or more children, therefore this time logic dictates the decrease should primarily affect families with one, two or three children.

There is no room left to lower Child Support Allowances by even a single shekel more, not for families with one child and not for families with 10 children, which also, of course, have three first children.

Nevertheless the idea did not last even a single day. Shinui ministers screamed. Over their dead bodies. No way would they agree to cuts for the first two children. Today the first two children receive NIS 144 ($33) each, yet lowering that amount to NIS 140 ($32) was out of the question. Since there are many more families with a few children than there are large families, a small reduction in payments for the first three children can save as much as a much larger reduction in payments to large families.

The original cut in Child Support Payments was scheduled to be distributed over a period of seven years, at the end of which each child--whether the first child or the tenth--would receive an identical sum of NIS 144. At the time Netanyahu defended himself by claiming he was unable to prevent this budget cut since it had been agreed upon in the coalition negotiations between Shinui and Sharon and Olmert, and he could not go back on their word. Meanwhile he tried to deflect accusations he was capitulating to Shinui and essentially doing Tommy Lapid's bidding.

Recently Netanyahu's apologies and excuses proved totally vacuous. Netanyahu, Lapid and Shinui are really one and the same. They have the same economic views and Netanyahu is subordinate to Lapid. Otherwise why did Netanyahu backtrack so quickly? Why did he agree to strike out against large families once again if he acknowledges they were done a great injustice?

The first time around demands were made on him to cut Child Support Payments and equalize the amount granted for every child. This time, however, nobody has asked this of Netanyahu. The policy was already established and is slated to be implemented gradually over the course of seven years. So why did he propose cutting Child Support Payments as a means of addressing the deficit these cuts created in the first place?

The answer is clear. Tommy Lapid is the real prime minister and finance minister and Netanyahu implements his policies. As far as Lapid is concerned the State of Israel need not pay a single shekel in Child Support Payments. Not for the first child, not for the second child, and certainly not for the fifth and up. From his standpoint Netanyahu is headed in the right direction.

Further evidence that Lapid is effectively steering the course in matters of state--certainly economic affairs, at least--is the fact that Netanyahu swiftly retracted his plan to increase university tuition by 10 percent after Shinui issued threats and made clear its MKs would not lend a hand in the matter. Even after the increase, a university education is heavily subsidized by the State, and the students are the beneficiaries through lifelong higher salaries.

Likud MKs, led by Chairman Gidon Saar, hurried to meet with the Finance Minister to tell him it would be better to let the Likud take credit for canceling the tuition increase than to let Shinui launch a battle, win and then take credit. Netanyahu heeded their words and capitulated.

In other words before Shinui even launched a battle, as soon as the Likud heard of Shinui's intentions it decided to surrender. So who's running the show here if not Lapid and Shinui?

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