Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday that he seeks to be appointed Housing and Construction Minister, after leaving his current role. The Gerrer hassidic community of which Litzman is a member has sizeable property investments and assets and it is believed that the grand rabbi of the Gerrer community Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter told Litzman that he should take this ministry so as to be better able to assist in this regard. Litzman has come under fire over his handling of the coronavirus epidemic, including his initial disinclination to force ultra-Orthodox institutions to shutter, leading to an extraordinary public letter from his own ministry’s legal adviser telling him to close them down. Litzman has also been criticized over several other scandals during his time as minister, including police charges that he tampered with witnesses in the Malka Leifer scandal, allegations of impropriety regarding tobacco advertising, and most recently his cancellation of a closure order for a failing mental health institute. According to an opinion poll for Channel 13 News, 67 percent of the general public is dissatisfied with Litzman’s performance as health minister. “As someone who has stood in recent years as the head of Israel’s health system, I can say fully and with certainty that our health system is strong and stable,” said Litzman in a statement his office issued on Sunday. “Life expectancy in Israel is high compared to most countries in the world. Despite the challenges and complexities, and although there are steps to be taken and issues that need to be improved to optimize the system, the Israeli health system is still one of the leaders compared to other countries around world, and in relation to its position a decade ago,” he added.
Source
Comments are closed.