“We need to hold elections, and if [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu thinks he needs to run again, that’s his business. If I were Bibi, I wouldn’t run again for the elections,” said Histadrut (Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman Arnon Bar-David in an interview with Maariv, published on Friday.

“We need to go to the elections, so that the people have their say on what has been happening since the war. Elections need to be held, and if Netanyahu thinks he needs to run again, that’s his business. If I were Bibi, I wouldn’t run again for the elections,” he told Maariv.

Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David (Photo: Histadrut)

According to him, “We must restart the country. I hear about it on all the tours I do. I am impressed by the civic activity and the partnerships and friendships we are all looking for. Unfortunately, there are political elements that continue to divide, and this can only be stopped through elections.”

In response to a question about the decision to continue distributing the coalition funds for ultraorthodox parties, far-right politicians and settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, he said: “This is a scandal. We continue to play yesterday’s politics. The country has changed completely since the war. The government is not being run properly. The people see what is happening, and the politicians will pay the price. There was an opportunity to create real change here in the order of priorities, harness the budget for the war effort, and postpone the coalition funds to another date. Every shekel for the war effort is important. In the end, the people will judge this disgrace.”

He also said: “People understand that things are being done here that should not be done. Unnecessary offices need to be abolished and we must show that we are broadcasting a change in priorities. In the meantime, we continue with petty politics and it drives me crazy.”

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31176