Ya'alon: Gov't trying to cover up poor conduct before solving problems
The competition over the Recommendations Bill between the coalition and the opposition has brought most other Knesset business to a halt.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBUpdated: DECEMBER 26, 2017 22:57Moshe Ya’alon speaking in Jerusalem during the anti-corruption protest(photo credit: MAAYAN HARONI)
The government is expending huge amounts of energy to cover up its poor conduct instead of focusing on solving the country’s problems, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.“Will we have a leadership which presses forward with laws to help individuals [in the government] cover up their improper actions, or a different kind of leadership?” he asked rhetorically.Ya’alon was slamming the Knesset’s focus this week on rapid-fire hearings to get the “Recommendations Bill” across the finish line. The legislation will limit the public’s access to police recommendations on whether politicians should be indicted in public corruption cases.He noted that the opposition is filibustering the bill and that the struggle over the initiative between the coalition and the opposition has brought most other Knesset business to a halt.While saying that he was not going to wade into the debate over the pluses and minuses of the legislation, Ya’alon said that the government’s obsessive focus on the bill is problematic and is leading it to ignore issues of crucial importance to the average citizen.He said that when he was defense minister (2013-2016), he moved forward a program to close and transfer military bases in the center of the country in order to make land available for more affordable housing – a big problem for much of the country. When asked if this compromised the country’s security, he said that he had responded that housing security is part of the country’s security – again implying the current government is ignoring this issue among others.On Saturday night, Ya’alon headlined a 600-person rally at Zion Square in Jerusalem, intended to be an alternative “pro” demonstration supporting the country’s institutions, as opposed to the anti-corruption protest held in Tel Aviv for the third consecutive week, which was dominated by supporters of the Left and the opposition.He criticized the current leadership as corrupt and divisive, saying, “This is not leadership.Leadership should unite, not divide. Politicians are turning topics such as integrity into ‘Left and Right’ issues.”Ya’alon then said that in the past, when asked what keeps him awake at night, people expected him to say “Iran.”“But I answered: ‘Corruption.’"Gil Hoffman contributed to this story.
