Deputy Minister of Finance, MK Michal Waldiger, announced the conclusion of her role as Deputy Minister of Finance and returned to the Knesset of Israel, in order to focus on maximizing efforts for the rehabilitation of the healthcare and mental health systems and directing budgetary resources towards the victory in the war.
Michal Waldiger's full message
People of Israel, on the seventh of October our world changed beyond recognition. The priorities have changed and life is not the same as yesterday. Over 1,400 men, women, elderly and children were brutally slaughtered, over 220 were kidnapped to Gaza, and there are thousands of wounded, some physically and mentally and some both. The barbaric, murderous and cruel attack by Hamas has completely changed the reality of the State of Israel.
Many questions echo in the minds of all Israeli citizens. How did this happen, where was the army, where was the intelligence, where was the political echelon, where was the state. Anyone who has a part in the failure will have to pay for it. Until then, we must unite and concentrate on one thing - winning. A clear military victory, without stammering, not "as if", not a "conceived" victory. A clear and overwhelming victory over the Nazi organization that arose to kill us in our country. We are ordered to restore the sense of security and peace to all residents of Israel.
I believe that the military victory and the return of security and peace will not be possible without the victory of the spirit. Without assistance and treatment of the problems and challenges tens of thousands of Israeli citizens are now encountering - whether these are bereaved families and families of abductees, families of evacuees from the south and north, or citizens who are experiencing difficulties - financial, mental, personal, family, etc. The resilience of the citizens of the country and certainly of the residents of the Gaza Strip envelope and of the security forces must receive and will receive top priority.
Since that Black Sabbath, my routine has become a routine of funerals, comforting mourners, meetings and conversations with families of missing persons and abductees, visiting the wounded, meetings and visits to the hotels where families who have escaped the inferno are staying and trying to help tens of thousands of citizens who were evacuated from their homes while they are destitute and in continuous trauma. I see and hear the pain, the loss of trust in the various state systems, the enormous damage to resilience and it is clear to me that my task, certainly at this time, is to rebuild trust. To rebuild the citizens' feeling that they are seen, that they count, that they are important and necessary and that they have someone to rely on.
I understand that at this time, I am committed to directing all my energy and time towards strengthening the social resilience, improving the mental health system, providing personal and general assistance to those families, and achieving a more significant presence in the field and among the citizens. I believe I can do this better as a member of the Knesset, not holding a ministerial position in the Ministry of Finance.
In addition to this, I believe that all of us, all of the systems, must prioritize and channel all existing resources for the war effort. The Ministry of Finance, as a leading and important ministry, should be an example of this. Therefore, I turned to the Minister of Finance, my friend Bezalel Smotrich, shared my thoughts with him and informed him of the end of my position as Deputy Minister of Finance, while directing the resources allocated for my office, for the benefit of the battle in which, with God's help, we will win.
I want to thank the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, for his trust and cooperation, and, in general, all the people in the Ministry of Finance. I am confident that they will continue to carry out their professional and important work on the best side.
For ten and a half months, I served as Deputy Minister of Finance, and we succeeded in changing the critical perception of the need to increase the budgets for the healthcare system as a whole, and mental health in particular, by reducing bureaucracy, removing barriers, and prioritizing work programs in social and welfare areas. I still have much to do in the Ministry of Finance, and until three weeks ago, I was actively promoting plans and projects in various civil areas within the Ministry of Finance. However, at this time, I feel that I need to be in a different place to continue to assist and work for the people of Israel.
This is my mission, and I promise to continue to fulfill it from the Knesset, to act with all my strength and determination for the wartime effort, for victory, and, as mentioned, to assist all those who have been affected physically and mentally, to rise and recover, and to restore trust in the state's systems. This is my commitment to the public, to my family, and to myself.
