be careful what you wish for

The public movement has been growing trying to pressure Minister Litzman out of the Health Ministry. Personally I think the movement was misguided. They should have been workign to push him out of the public arena of politics altogether, nto specifically out of the Health Ministry.

Litzman likes to point out the survey from many years ago that showed he is so well liked, often described as the sweetheart (mami in hebrew) of the government. And he was well liked for a while.

Eventually the honeymoon wore off, and people got frustrated by him., he ran the ministry like so many politicians run their ministries and areas of responsibility. he used it to give priority to people somewhat connected. He used his influence to help abusers and molesters get out of jail on vacations and furloughs and paroles. He used, and is using, his ministry to help an alleged serious abuser avoid the courts and extradition. Polls show that a significant majority of people are very dissatisfied with the way he has handled the Corona crisis (though Netanyahu polls favorably on this).

While Netanyahu stays loyal to Litzman and UTJ,,the pressure has been mounting to remove him from the Health Ministry. Netanyahu would not do that to Litzman or UTJ, unless it came from them - for example, if Litzman would request a new ministry.

The news is now reporting that there are strong rumors that Litzman has offered, not requested but offered, to abandon the Health Ministry in exchange for the Housing Ministry.

If people did not like Litzman in the Ministry of Health, a ministry that was mostly ignored and did not think much about until Litzman took it over, wait until he takes over the Housing Ministry and builds for Haredim and gives them discounts and pushes Haredi projects into cities that dont want them and gives them priority purchasing and subsidized mortgages and grants and discounted taxes. Wait until Litzman gives his Haredi and specifically Gur developer friends access to the most lucrative projects. Again, every minister and politician does this to a certain extent, but Litzman is particularly heavy handed on these types of matters. He really answers to no one except the Gerrer Rebbe.

That is why I say, people should be careful what they wish for. Litzman was not not worthy of the Health Ministry. Litzman was not worthy of being in politics at all. People fought to get him out of the Health Ministry, and they might be getting what they wished for, but they will regret it if he gets his hands on an even more important ministry. Be careful what you wish for.

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