Biton humiliated Rami Levy: "I am the owner of the house here, sit quietly, let him talk!" • Watch

January 16, 2023   

A confrontation developed this morning (Monday) in the Economics Committee between MK Michael Biton and businessman Rami Levy - over the issue of rising food prices and its impact on the cost of living. Business owners? Grow on it: You too deserve to grow to number one During the discussion, Biton attacked the owners of the food chains: "There is no competition in the food chains. The antitrust authority is still investigating incidents of competition in the food chains and price gouging, I hope she will come to conclusions and enforce them. The legislature authorized her to issue a fine of 100 million shekels and it has not happened yet. It will be given to three chains and they will all be fined." In response, Rami Levy burst out in his words. MK Biton shouted at the businessman: "Don't get confused, Rami Levy. I am a homeowner here in the Israeli Knesset, and don't think that you are a Likudnik and you have come to control it, and you will change the rules. We will be a wall here in a way and we will watch over you too, now sit quietly and let me speak. Don't interrupt me while I speak. We will check on you every day. You became a tycoon, maybe you started out as someone who lowered prices, but you became a tycoon." In response, Rami Levy admitted that he is a Likudnik - and added: "The stories of the Thousand and One Nights, nothing you said is true." Biton: "If it weren't true, you wouldn't have jumped. A wealthy person wouldn't use his wealth to speak badly of members of Knesset." Biton outlined the committee's course of action, saying that just as it acted to raise disability benefits contrary to the Finance Ministry's position, it would do so in this case as well. During the discussion, the question arose - should local producers be protected or the market fully opened up? Rami Levy: "I'm looking at the yellow cheese, if you lower the tariffs and open the market freely, it will drop by tens of percent." MK David Bitan: "There are no absolutes, we also need to protect local producers, especially in agriculture." Rami Levy: "The state should protect.".