מצע המפלגה

Our mission is to shift power from the state to the individual and the community. We believe that many of the rifts in Israeli society are exacerbated by unnecessary and harmful government policies, with each group trying to use the power of the state to strengthen itself, at the expense of other groups. In our view, the road to a healthy and prosperous society is based on the principle of "live and let live".

The guiding principal of Human Freedom

A modern, liberal and vibrant society depends on the freedom of expression and the press, freedom of religion and freedom from religion, freedom of movement and freedom of association. In society, every person is sovereign over his own life and property. The central role of the state is to protect the liberty of its citizens so that they can live peacefully, without fear of violence and coercion, by the government, other citizens or external threats.

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1. Separation of state and religion. Religion is a private matter. Government involvement in religious institutions has resulted in several negative outcomes; unwarranted coercion, discrimination against bachelors, single women and the LGBT community, a ban on mass transportation on the Sabbath, squandering of tax money and rifts between secular and religious communities. In addition, the state uses the chief rabbinate as a coercive device against religious people who are sometimes coerced by state-originated regulations. The communities and the rabbis need to be freed from the grip of state controlled religious institutions.

Marriage is a private matter and should be arranged through voluntarily contracts and ceremonies chosen by the couple, in accordance with their traditions, their inclinations and beliefs. That is why we see no place for government in the provision of religious services; we support civil marriage and ultimately, we envision the cancellation of marriage registration by the state and the closure of the Ministry of Religion.

We will also aim to repeal any prohibition on opening businesses on the Sabbath. There is no place for politicians to interfere with how business owners run their businesses. We consider such interference a violation of religious and property rights. For example; In northern Tel Aviv, restaurant and supermarket owners have a commercial interest in operating the business seven days a week. In contrast, business owners in Bnei Brak (a religious town) have an interest not to operate on the Sabbath. Such voluntary, rational decisions are the best way to deal with the question of operating businesses on Sabbath and Holidays.

Finally, we will abolish the Chief Rabbinate monopoly on certifying food and restaurants as kosher. As is customary in Jewish communities abroad, kosher certificates will be given by reputable rabbis and institutions, who will have to gain the trust of community members, so that their kosher certificate will be trusted. Free competition between these rabbis will lower costs for business owners and consumers while makeing the whole process more honest and efficient.

2. We will put an end to "the war on cannabis". This war is waged against more than a million normative citizens. The war has not reduced cannabis consumption but has instead created a vast black market, which is at the core of widespread crime culture, wastes police resources, impairing the government's ability to protect its citizens from real violent crimes and indirectly increasing the cost of living. It is our view that this destructive policy should be stopped and replaced by the full legalization of cannabis. In addition, we will work to purge the criminal records of cannabis users. But first and foremost, we will work to stop the suffering of patients who need medical cannabis. Every physician and psychiatrist in Israel will be allowed to prescribe cannabis for every patient, for any problem, at whatever quantity the MD may determine. The patient will be able to change the type of cannabis according to his wishes, within the limit of the amount prescribed by the MD. The patient will also be allowed to freely import or grow on his own the prescribed cannabis.

3. Shorten the duration of compulsory military service, stop recruiting unnecessary soldiers and offer a fair market wage. Today, the IDF does not spread the burden of service equally, even among the soldiers who do enlist to its ranks. Some of the soldiers are recruited for difficult and dangerous positions without seeing an adequate monetary reward, and some are recruited unnecessarily, wasting resources, tax money, and above all - wasted years of their lives. Studies commissioned by the state concluded that the length of service can be shortened without impairing the function of the army. Unfortunately, the existing political establishment has not embraced these recommendations, so we will work towards that goal. Alongside the reduction in service and the savings in military resources, more and more tracks in the IDF must be turned into professional positions paying fair market wages, while other roles can be abolished or outsourced

4. Say no to the biometric database. We oppose the biometric database that forces Israeli citizens to submit their biometric data. This is all the more so in light of the past leakage of similar government databases and their use for malicious purposes. This database will in all likelihood leak, which will facilitate, among other things, the identification of Israelis by hostile entities in Israel and abroad. Even without leakage, the database is vulnerable to misuse. For example, as criminal conviction rates in Israel approach 100%, the database opens the door for corruption, such as planting evidence. Much of the purported objective of the biometric database can be achieved simply by using smart IDs that do not violate civilian privacy. We will promote this program as an alternative to the database.

5. Preserve our digital freedom. Privacy is an integral part of a free society. We will oppose any government attempt to spy on the Internet traffic of Israeli citizens.

6. Decentralize education and allow for choice in education. In our view, education conducted in a community setting will be more attentive to the needs of each student and their parents compared to a centralized education system run by the Ministry of Education. Therefore, we support structural, substantive reform of the education system that will promote budgetary and pedagogical autonomy to educational institutions, their administrators and their teachers, contrary to the current situation of "top-down" planning by the Ministry of Education. We will work to eliminating the method of registration areas and allow every parent the freedom to choose which school their child will attend. In addition, we will strive to provide schools greater freedom over method of learning, the curriculum and the status of teachers in order to allow diversity, with the aim to meet individual needs and unique characteristics of each child. instead of the method of government allocation of education budgets used today (based on hours of learning) we support a voucher method that correlates the number of students enrolled in the educational institution and the state budget it receives .We think that free competition between schools will improve education and make it more attentive to the various needs of students in the 21st Century. We support rewarding teachers based on skills rather than seniority, enabling flexibility in teaching methods, which will increase teacher status, teacher satisfaction and the attractiveness of the teaching profession. We will not allow teacher organizations to continue to thwart any structural reform of the education system.

7. Take the gambling industry out of the arms of organized crime. The Israeli government has started a war against gambling, including poker and a variety of other games of chance. This war has resulted in the development of a black market and organized crime control over these activities. We also note a clear hypocrisy as the government's own gambling monopoly (Miphal Hapayis, the national lottery) allows and even promotes gambling. Moreover, this prohibition prevents Eilat and other cities from joining the ranks of other western tourist cities that offer casino services, thereby missing great tourism potential. We will therefore work to abolish the gambling ban, but will exercise supervision that will prevent people from incurring oversized losses.

8. Liberalize the telecommunications market and allow for multiple TV channels and cable companies. We will work to completely dissociate the press in particular, and the media in general, from politicians and the government. Journalism whose existence depends on the body it is tasked to critic is unable to perform its function properly. Everyone should be allowed to operate a TV channel without the need for a state license and supervision. Internet content channels will be completely free from any supervision, licensing, concession requirement and any state intervention of any kind. The Communications Ministry, the Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council, the Director of Public Broadcasting Regulation and the Film Review Board should be closed. State-owned TV and radio channels, including the Army-operated radio channel should be privatized or closed; these are not state functions.


The economy

The past 250 years show that a free economy (also called capitalism (*), market economy, free enterprise) dramatically raises the standard of living of the entire population. Studies also find a positive correlation between the degree of capitalism and the degree of honesty and generosity of the population. The Liberal party will promote capitalism in Israel.

(*) - capitalism - A system that is based on individual freedom: One's rights to life, liberty & property; and hence, the right to engage and trade with each other voluntarily, in a free market, without coercion.

1. Lower real estate prices, by returning the land to the people and simplifying construction bureaucracy. There are two main reasons for the high housing prices in the country. First, the Israeli government controls most of the land through a cumbersome body called the Israel Land Authority. The slow pace of land sale to real estate developers results in artificially low land supply and therefore - exorbitant housing prices. We will work to accelerate the sale of state's land to its true owners - the people. We will advance the tender of all land (except for nature reserves, roads, military and government facilities, etc.) in fair and transparent tenders, which will result in an immediate reduction in housing prices. Secondly, the cost of housing in Israel is also high due to complex and unreasonable bureaucratic procedures. As anyone who has tried to build a house in Israel knows, it is a multi-year, excruciating process and sometimes even involves corruption. We will adopt the "Straight Line" plan for comprehensive planning and construction reform. Finally, we will work to correct municipal tax distortions that, among other things, cause an excessive preference for commercial construction over residential construction.

2. Liberate the economy, introduce competition in markets where government monopolies rule. Repealing laws that discourage entrepreneurship, innovation and competition is the best way to fight concentration, raise wages, and lower the cost of living. The source of many monopolies and cartels in Israel is in protectionist government legislation that violates freedom of occupation. We will work to abolish the "councils" system in agriculture, which dictates production quotas, prices and more: the dairy council, the olive council, the plant council, the honey council and the other councils. We will also work to abolish monopolies such as Nesher's cement monopoly, and to privatize government monopolies such as the electric company and ports. Monopoly workers are earning abnormally high salaries through strike threats, regardless of poor service levels and customer dissatisfaction. The electric company must be dismantled into various power stations and trade on the stock exchange in a transparent manner. Similarly, we will work on a comprehensive reform of Israel Railways. We will promote the establishment of a major international airport that will compete with Ben Gurion Airport, and will be built and operated by a private entrepreneur, without the involvement of Israel Airports Authority. Entry into the country of foreign banks and insurance companies should be allowed and new banks should have the ability to open shop. We will work to transform the Israeli economy into a freer economy. Eliminating unnecessary barriers will result in a significant increase in the purchasing power of Israelis.

3. Reduce the tax burden significantly. Low taxation means more employment opportunities, higher net salaries, lower prices and greater welfare for all levels of society. We will work towards a responsible reduction of the tax burden, alongside streamlining and reducing government spending. In our view, the state makes inefficient use of tax money compared to the use that the citizen makes. Low taxation will allow more business formation, increase the volume of labor and production in the economy, and thus increase the economic capacity of citizens to help themselves and others. The high level of taxes in Israel harms citizens, encourages the black market , increases prices and discourages foreign investors from investing in the country. We will work to simplify the tax system. The tax system in Israel is complicated and includes a host of exemption clauses and tax credits for various pressure groups. The tax code should be simplified also with the purpose of reducing the resources required to collect taxes, reducing the incentive for tax evasion, and enabling a simple and non-invasive tax system.

4. Release the economy from the grip of the Histadrut (the national trade union) and strong workers' unions. We will ensure freedom of association. That is, we will work to repeal the One Third Law, so that any employee who does not want to become a member of a trade union, will not be required to pay membership dues. We will also endeavor to abolish the archaic legal status of the unions so that there is genuine transparency and competition between labor organizations. We will limit the right to strike for employees of critical services. There is no connection between the current strike laws that give tremendous power to workers' and the right to strike. Fair incorporation laws, which do not give disproportionate power to either party, are important to the smooth functioning of the economy and the public sector. The strength of the strong workers’ unions and their ability to cause harm are such that the very threat of a strike turns Israeli citizens into hostages and elevates workers' compensation to unreasonable levels. The situation in which the striking workers, despite the great harm they inflict on the citizens of Israel, are completely immune from being charged on the damages they cause or for breach of their employment contract, is unbearable. Eliminating the immunity system would force workers' unions to consider strikes more prudently. Reducing the power of such unions will facilitate a more reliable and efficient public sector. In addition, curbing public sector wage hikes will help curb government spending and ultimately reduce the tax burden on all Israeli citizens.

5. Eliminate ministries. A limited in size and transparent government mechanism is a prerequisite for good governance, so we will work to limit the number of ministers. We will work to limit excessive authority of the various government offices, and abolish unnecessary government offices. We will also work to eliminate the possibility of appointing ministers without portfolio. This is, in our view, an important step towards more efficient and transparent government, and reduces the cost of the government apparatus. Any significant deviation from a simple government structure that includes the 6 main government ministries: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Security and the Foreign Ministry constitutes, in our view, an expression of degeneration of the government system, a waste of public money and an unnecessary bureaucratic complication. Finally, the State of Israel must implement a liberal constitution that establishes the status of civil rights.

6. Make Israel a free trade area and lower food prices. Freedom of trade is a prerequisite in the modern era for a thriving economy. Customs and other trade barriers, especially in the food sector, have led to high consumer product prices. In our view, trade restrictions in the form of tariffs, import quotas, and import bans, benefits only small interest groups but harms the vast majority of Israelis. In fact, the harm is mainly to the poorest strata of society who spend a relatively high share of their income on food. Therefore, restrictions on imports constitute an anti-social measure. We will work to abolish the protectionism policy currently in place for cronies. That is, we will work to gradually eliminate all tariffs, import quotas, purchase taxes, import bans, and unique regulations from the Israeli Standards Institute imposed even on products that already have approval from the U.S. or European counterparts. For example, we will work to provide automatic import approval for all products that have already been cleared by a member state in the OECD.

7. Create a business-friendly environment. The Israeli economy suffers from a burden of laws and regulations that is among the heaviest in the Western world. According to the World Bank's “Ease of Doing Business” Index, Israel ranks 35th in the world. This means that most developed countries in the world enjoy a lighter regulatory burden than that of Israel. This is a tragedy that the celebrated Israeli entrepreneur encounters such walls of regulation. We will deregulate the economy. Excessive regulations affects mainly small businesses, leads to increased cost of living, hampers free competition, and creates inefficiencies. We strive to deregulate the economy to such a degree that Israel will rank among the top ten countries in “The Ease of Doing Business” index, alongside countries like New Zealand, Singapore, Denmark, South Korea, USA, UK, etc.

8. Responsible budgetary and monetary policies. Balanced budget, stable currency and free exchange rates are the cornerstones of a healthy economy. In our view, artificially low interest rates and constant budget deficits are not the path to long-term growth and lead to irresponsible increases in national debt, erosion of public savings and distortions of the economy. We will work to advance a reform that will reduce the Bank of Israel's ability to inflate the money supply and engage in foreign currency speculation in amounts reaching billions of dollars. We strive to reach budget surpluses that will lead to a permanent reduction of the national debt, until it vanishes.

9. Solve traffic congestion. Traffic jams in Israel are becoming unbearable. These jams increase air pollution, waste time and money and hurt economic productivity. We will work to ease these traffic jams by granting a comprehensive permit to operate mass transit by private entrepreneurs. We will allow entrepreneurs to determine their own means of transport, routes and frequency, and of course we will allow a wide use of advanced transportation applications on smartphones. We will also allow paid carpooling, Uber and other companies of its type will receive a sweeping license to operate in Israel. Finally, we will promote a congestion tax without which the traffic jam problem will not be solved. It should be emphasized that this is a sophisticated congestion tax that does not raise the general tax burden but rather replaces fuel (excise tax) and vehicle purchase taxes. Among other things, it is actually a pro-social tax that improves the standard of living of residents in the periphery who do not suffer from congestion - and therefore will pay low or no congestion taxes - but will enjoy lower car and fuel prices than they currently do.


The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Peace Process

We aim to promote Israel's security and the security of Israeli citizens and members of the security forces, along with the aspiration to strengthen Israel's position in the world and our peaceful relations with our neighbors. All this while recognizing that the state's most basic duty is to protect its citizens from external aggression. We oppose the establishment of a political sovereign entity west of the Jordan River in addition to the State of Israel, and in any case we will work to bring about any peace treaty for a referendum, as we believe that such fateful and decisive questions must be settled by direct democracy.