Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot reacted to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for Israel to make use of alternative financial mechanisms, releasing a campaign video on X/Twitter on Saturday in which the former IDF chief described the plan as an admission that the prime minister had economically "destroyed the country."
"All of our money is at risk," the campaign video said, showing Netanyahu in his earlier Channel 10 interview saying that Israel must "prepare for an alternative economy" amid the myriad of international sanctions facing the country.
The video emphasized the point made by Netanyahu regarding blockchain technology, with the prime minister acknowledging that such digital finances would "certainly" be a portion of his plan.
"I’ve already asked for a plan to be prepared for that,” Netanyahu added during the interview.
Eisenkot's campaign video referred to the plan as "Bibicoin," concluding that such a finance mechanism would "destroy Israel."
Eisenkot campaign: Plan would generate 'economy like North Korea and Iran'
The campaign video further claimed that the alternative system would generate "an economy like North Korea and Iran," noting that it would result in "the end of high-tech, the end of healthcare, the end of security."
"We must not let him (Netanyahu) burn through our savings," it said, questioning how the global high-tech industry could invest in Israeli companies if digital currency were the only method.
Eisenkot also addressed Netanyahu's alternative economy plan in a separate X post, delivered this time as a personal message.
"Netanyahu himself admits that the policy he's leading and wants to lead Israel toward will result in international isolation and economic sanctions that will shake the economy and the market," wrote Eisenkot. "This will be the collapse of our national security."
Bank of Israel, Bennett respond to Netanyahu's blockchain plan
Also on Saturday, the Bank of Israel responded to the blockchain element of Netanyahu's plan, saying that such digital currencies "cannot be used as a way to circumvent sanctions on Israel."
"The right thing for Israel's economy is to maintain economic relations with our main trading partners and focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy," the bank said. "This issue is within the responsibility of the political echelon, and it is appropriate to act to advance it."
Netanyahu responded to the Bank of Israel's comments later on Saturday, sarcastically thanking the bank "for the advice," according to KAN News.
B'Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett also responded to the plan, describing himself as a "high-tech entrepreneur" before explaining that Netanyahu's plan would result in "the destruction of Israeli high-tech, the loss of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of families, poverty for millions of Israelis, a serious blow to tourism and businesses, and putting Israel's security in real danger."
"Netanyahu is placing Israel on a par with Iran, North Korea, and Russia," the former prime minister said. "From here, I turn to the business community and all citizens of Israel: This is not a decree of fate. We do not have to walk into the dark future Netanyahu is drawing for our children with our eyes closed. It is possible otherwise. We have the power to build together a wonderful and strong future for Israel."
Tobias Holcman and Maariv contributed to this report.