Peretz: Netanyahu leading Israel to social catastrophe

Israeli lawmaker Amir Peretz (Hatnua) has criticized Premier Benjamin Netanyahu over the country's budget deficit. "The Bibi-Steinitz plan to cheat the public before the elections boomeranged. Today, every citizen knows that what they did is an attempt to gain time in order to harm our pensions and savings. Bibi is intensifying the fiscal crisis and leading the way to a social catastrophe which will harm the middle class," he was quoted as saying by Yediot Aharonot. "The outcome we received is a split and harmed Israeli society." The Finance Ministry on Sunday posted a budget deficit of NIS 39 billion (about $10.5 billion) in 2012, making up 4.2\\% of gross domestic product - double the government target.