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Netanyahu: They vilified me, but I created growth Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu: Everyone's taking credit for my economic policies. Globes’ correspondent 16 May 06 12:48Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu accuses politicians and journalists of collaborating to vilify him and blacken his reputation, even though they knew the truth that his economic doctrine was right.In an interview with IDF Radio (Galei Zahal) this morning, Netanyahu said, “I was targeted because I opposed the disengagement plan. They made political capital out of me and my policies. For months, they presented me as an evil man. Those who viciously and venomously attacked my...

El Al profit up despite fuel prices The airline’s revenue rose 17% to $485.2 million in the third quarter, and profit was $52.2 million. Yuval Mendelson 24 Nov 05 09:39El Al Israel Airlines (TASE: ELAL), controlled by Knafaim-Arkia Holdings (TASE: KNFM), today reported its results for the third quarter of 2005. The report can be summarized as an improvement, despite higher fuel prices. It is important to mention that, over the past year, ticket prices charged by El Al and other international airlines have risen along with fuel prices. El Al posted a $52.2 million net profit in the third...

Government sources: Leumi privatization tender possibleThe Ministry of Finance is nevertheless making preparations to distribute shares to the public. Zeev Klein 9 Feb 05 16:00Government and Ministry of Finance sources are not ruling out a sale of a controlling interest in Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) according to the same format used for the privatization of Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT), if investors take an interest, and if conditions are suitable. Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu already noted a possible change in the plan for privatizing Bank Leumi at a cabinet meeting three weeks ago, following the sale of Discount Bank....

Israeli venture capital revived in 2004. Ernst and Young and VentureOne: $1.2 billion was invested in 179 companies in 2004. Batya Feldman 24 Jan 05 11:27Ernst and Young and VentureOne, a unit of DowJones Newswires, published their Quarterly Venture Capital Report for the US and Israeli venture capital industries last Friday. Although the fourth quarter of 2004 was fairly weak, the reports' figures reflect optimism. After three consecutive years of decline, venture capital investment in the US rose in 2004. $20.4 billion was invested in 2,067 companies, compared with $18.9 billion invested in 2003. The figures for Israel reflect...

Dec. 8, 2003 Bibi interrupted at Economic Forum by activists By JPOST.COM STAFF Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, addressing the closing session of the 2003 Economic Forum, was interrupted social activists who accused him of destroying Israeli society, Monday. Netanyahu told audience members that although his economic program was a painful one, it was the only way of returning the economy to growth. He called upon Bank of Israel governor David Klein to continue lowering interest rates, in order to help the business sector - on one hand - and overdrawn lower classes - on the other. Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz...

Shalom, I was shocked to read the attached letter. Is this the way people want to help Israel ? By describing untruth... It is true that many people are unemployed at the moment but no one is going starving to school. Some families do not know the order of priorities maybe they try to earn money by gambling while the family need the money for necessities. Maybe some families even starve , but to say " poverty all around me " is a very big lie. I don't like it when people try to make us look miserable . People...

Finance Ministry sees 11% unemployment by year-end Unemployment will fall only in 2005. The ministry sharply criticized the Bank of Israel's interest rate policy. Zeev Klein 29 Oct 03 16:08Unemployment will reach 11% of the civilian labor force by the end of 2003, amounting to 286,000 people, states a macroeconomic forecast published by Ministry of Finance chief economist Dr. Michael Sarel today. The unemployment rate is currently 10.6%, or 265,000 people. Sarel emphasized that no decline in unemployment was expected in 2004, and unemployment would begin to fall only in 2005. He said a fall in unemployment depended on scrupulously...

Jewish World "Israeli Snack Day" Announced 15:59 Oct 28, '03 / 2 Cheshvan 5764 The children's wing of an organization called ACHI - American Consumers Helping Israel - has initiated an interesting new program to help Israel's economy. Participating Jewish schools in the U.S. will institute a weekly Israel Snack Day, on which all students will have a snack produced and imported from Israel. The program has three goals, say its organizers: helping Israel's economy by increasing consumption of Israeli goods; teaching young students the importance of helping their brothers and sisters in Israel; and promoting a sense of unity...

IMF report urges Israel to cut budget, interest rates “The restoration of peace, given Israel's strong fundamentals, would yield substantial economic gains to the region as a whole.” Globes correspondent 13 Mar 03 17:22The International Monetary Fund (IMF) today released its annual review of the Israeli economy, in which it urged expenditure cuts from the government and small interest rate cuts from the Bank of Israel The report reads, “On March 7, 2003, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Israel” Background ”The Israeli economy is in the midst of a deep...

Sharon: Israeli economy is basically strong At the Globes Initiative “Business and Community” conference, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called for greater personal effort and voluntarism. Noga Shavit-Raz 11 Mar 03 15:04“Israel is currently facing a hard struggle. I call on everyone to realize that we’re all in a struggle we must win. We must act calmly, without wailing or crying. This is no time for tears,” said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today. He was speaking at the opening of the Globes Initiative “Business and Community” conference at the Tel Aviv David Intercontinental Hotel. “The time has come for people to...

Buy Israeli! "Short of traveling to Israel, there really is no better way to help the desperate Israeli economy than to buy Israeli products on an ongoing basis." That is the theme of the new "Buy Israeli" campaign organized by the "Israel Now" consortium, which is dedicated to educating the Canadian Jewish public on issues such as this. "With tourism in Israel down some 80%," writes Judy Hazan of Israel Now, "[and] with more than 87,000 business failures between 2001 and 2002, Israel is suffering an economic catastrophe. Almost a quarter of Israelis have seen their standard of living drop...

Sharon working with Shalom on new economic plan If the negotiations on establishing a new government take too long, they may decide to implement the plan within two weeks. Zeev Klein 6 Feb 03 16:52Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Minister of Finance Silvan Shalom are jointly involved in formulating the economic emergency plan proposed by senior Ministry of Finance officials.Sharon and Shalom will soon decide if the NIS 7-9 billion budget cut and other measures will be implemented by the outgoing government, or be postponed until the new government takes office. Sources in Jerusalem believe that if the negotiations on...