Why Israel, not NGOs, must care for poor
Welfare and Social Services Minister Haim Katz says that the work being done by associations, providing food and products to the poor, cannot replace the responsibility of the state toward its citizens.
Minister of Welfare and Social Services Haim Katz of the Likud Party was never worried about criticizing the chairman of his party, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. For quite a few years, Katz warned that the Likud’s lack of compassion about social issues could cost the party the government. Today, however, just half a year after being appointed minister for the first time, Katz has only compliments for Netanyahu.
In an interview with Al-Monitor just before Rosh Hashanah, Katz confides that when he sees the way that Netanyahu conducts discussions and debates in the Cabinet, the Knesset or the Forum of Likud Ministers, he can’t help being impressed with the prime minister’s leadership skills. “I’m not one of those people who is loose and easy with compliments, but I must say that in this term, the prime minister is acting like a leader and standing firm on his principles. I have never heard him like this before. He tells us, ‘This is what I want, because I am responsible for what happens.’ In general, the Netanyahu that we are seeing this term is a very different Netanyahu. This Netanyahu is a prime minister who tries to lead and who realizes that he bears ultimate responsibility for whatever happens. The way I see it, the Netanyahu of this term is a leader.”
As a politician, Katz has focused on social issues long before it became trendy. After the March 17 elections, he asked to be appointed minister of Welfare and Social Services even though it is not an especially attractive ministry, given its problems with budget and image. Even with the best intentions, the people heading the Ministry of Social Welfare are rarely able to instigate major changes. Katz took over the position after two particularly productive terms as chairman of the Knesset’s Labor and Social Welfare Committee. Under his leadership, it emerged as one of the Knesset’s most powerful and influential committees. He is now trying to repeat his successes in his new position as minister.
The text of the interview follows:
