Fuel Prices Drop Temporarily, Critics Say Election Tactic

Fuel prices in Israel saw a reduction of half a shekel per liter on Tuesday, a week after reaching a peak. However, this decrease is described as artificial, funded by taxpayers and intended to last only until the upcoming elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated the price drop, with Netanyahu tweeting about falling prices domestically while they rise globally, and Smotrich posting a video from a gas station hailing the move as a reduction in the cost of living. The article argues that genuine efforts to lower the cost of living require consistent policy throughout a government's term, not last-minute measures before elections. It criticizes the government's past actions, including canceling a reform meant to lower fruit and vegetable prices, establishing and disbanding a committee on the cost of living without conclusions, and backing down from reforms in the dairy sector and on government ministries under political pressure. The article also points to Smotrich's reversal on a promise to eliminate coalition funds, which have since been distributed at record levels. The author contends that the current fuel price reduction is purely election-driven economics, funded by public money without cuts to wasteful spending, especially during a costly war, and concludes that the public is ultimately bearing the expense.