Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yisrael Katz presented a new economic rescue program on Thursday evening whose aim is to assist small businesses that have been harmed by the coronavirus restrictions.

“The finance minister and I have been working on this plan around the clock so that you will get the money as quickly as possible. We are in the midst of a growing global storm that is affecting virtually every country,” the Prime Minister told Israeli media during a press conference.

“A balance needs to be struck between protecting our health and opening up the economy. The decisions have been made through trial and error – as all governments have had to do.”

“The steps we took created a heavy financial toll on us. We opened up the economy, but looking back we can say that the last phase (of opening the economy) was done too early. I take responsibility for that.”

“We did it because we listened to your calls of distress, you the citizens of Israel. To the Chareidi community, I say: all of the decisions that were made were made based purely on statistics. Citizens of Israel, I ask again for your cooperation. We banned weddings in order to prevent funerals. You can get married, but only hold small weddings.”

“Next week, up to NIS 7,500 will be given in advance to business owners. That is the immediate payment. If need be we will bring more [assistance plans] in the coming weeks.”

Following his impassioned speech, Netanyahu presented a wider economic rescue plan. The plan included a safety net for employees, and the extension of unemployment benefits until June, 2021. An additional component incorporated a safety net for self-employed individuals and business owners who were also harmed by the restrictions.

According to the plan, businesses that received assistance from the government in May will be eligible for the NIS 7,500 without any new conditions. On top of that, some small businesses will be eligible to receive a grant of NIS 6,000 every two months.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)