Shaare zedek medical center, Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem, Feb 14 Israel's economy is "strong" and "on a good track", Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has told visiting Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann.While the Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the Israeli economy, the country still recorded "an extraordinary growth of almost 7 per cent", Bennett said at the beginning of a special cabinet meeting, which was attended by Cormann.The country is still recovering from the fifth wave of the pandemic, which was led by the ultra-infectious Omicron variant, but "the economy is on a good track", Xinhua news agency quoted Bennett as saying.He attributed the country's high growth rates to the government's choice to keep the economy open during the fourth and fifth Covid-19 waves while combating the virus with mass vaccination campaigns and the social distancing protocol."Our high-growth 'open Israel' policy has allowed us to raise soldiers' salaries, look after the elderly and ease pressures for working families by lowering taxes," he said.He also pointed out that the country's hi-tech sector was the "first and foremost" growth engine of the economy.Meanwhile, the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements signed in 2020 to normalise ties between Israel and several Arab countries, have had a significant impact on the Israeli economy and served as another engine for the country's economy, he said.Another important engine for growth is the integration of populations with historically low employment rates into the workforce, the prime minister added.Bennett's government, which took office in June last year, has promoted plans to integrate ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and Arab women into the workforce.Referring to the challenges of the Israeli economy, Bennett said the country needs to reform the stagnant sectors of its economy and promote competition.Israel's market does not allow for enough domestic competition and has to be opened up to more players, he said.Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Shaare Zedek Medical CenterFOLLOW

Shaare zedek medical center, Latest News

Damascus, Feb 24 Three soldiers were killed in an Israeli missile strike targeting military sites in Damascus after ... ...

Lokmat News Network Aurangabad, Feb 22: In a rare procedure, director Krupamayi Hospital Dr Vijay Borgaonkar successfully managed ... ...

Ramallah, Feb 22 Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye has warned Israel against maintaining its policies in East Jerusalem ... ...

Jerusalem, Feb 21 The Israeli Cabinet approved the appointment of the former general Gaby Portnoy as the chief ... ...

Jerusalem, Feb 21 Israel has announced that starting from March 1 it will open borders to all tourists, ... ...

Jerusalem, Feb 17 Israel's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 8.1 per cent in 2021, the highest annual ... ...

Jerusalem, Feb 14 The proportion of women who reported side-effects after receiving their first, second or third dose ... ...

Jerusalem, Feb 14 Israel's economy is "strong" and "on a good track", Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has ... ...