Finance Minister: Netanyahu is feeling the pressure.
"What's happening at the banks is unpleasant. Everyone wants them to be profitable, but it was a tough year," Minister of Finance Ronnie Bar-On told “IDF Radio" (Galei Zahal) today. "There is no danger that an Israeli bank will collapse," he reiterated.
Bar-On continued, "I didn’t know the precise numbers, but the banks' losses were predicted, but it was known that this was a tough year, not only for Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI; LSE:80OA), but for the other banks as well
Commenting on the upcoming elections, Bar-On said, "The Likud continues to lose Knesset seats to Kadima and Yisrael Beiteinu, headed by MK Avigdor Lieberman." He added that Likud chairman MK Benjamin Netanyahu's comment that he would like Labor Party chairman and Minister of Defense Ehud Barak to stay on in that post was a sign that Netanyahu was under pressure.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 4, 2009
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2009