As elections approach, Yesh Atid Knesset member Simon Davidson said his party is focused on “Fighting the [haredi] draft-dodging law, fighting for a non-partisan National Commission of Inquiry [into the Hamas-led Oct. 7 invasion], fighting corruption, and we will launch the greatest war against the rising cost of living, while ensuring the security of the State of Israel.”

Davidson warned that in addition to rising transportation, dairy and poultry prices, even enjoying a favorite treat can no longer be taken for granted. He highlighted price increases for krembo, a popular chocolate-coated marshmallow treat, and for poultry, addressing the Knesset plenum earlier this month.

“The most stolen product from supermarkets in Israel is baby formula. Everything is rising to extreme levels. This week, the cost of bus transport will climb to 9 shekels ($2.75). A year and a half ago, it was 5.60 shekels ($1.71),” he said.

“Israelis who need to get to the hospital, the market or the cemetery use the bus to get there. Everywhere in the world, buses are heavily subsidized. If the price of a bus ticket had risen even by 10 centimes in France, the country would shut down with protests,” Davidson added.

“We ran surveys and found that the cost of living is one of the two key issues that will be decisive in the next elections, along with national security,” he said.

“The average price of chicken in Israel is 60% higher than the average price in OECD countries. So, then, we won’t eat chicken anymore, we won’t enjoy our krembo, and we won’t buy baby formula for our children. Where is this going?” he added.

Addressing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s push to increase dairy imports amid ongoing milk shortages and public frustration over high prices, Davidson said he opposes the measure. “Scandinavian countries encourage farmers to work in agriculture. We must be able to rely on our own production.

“I am not against imports, but what will happen is that small dairy farms in the periphery will close instead of being encouraged to produce more. If we want to reduce the price of milk, we must give subsidies to farmers and dairy farms. We must open the market to imports, but at the same time help with subsidies,” he said.

Yair Lapid’s Egyptian plan

Turning to national security, Davidson said the government should have submitted a post-war plan for Gaza to the United States and the United Nations much sooner, outlining what it intended to do the day after the war.

“That is not what happened. What happened is that the Americans decided for us, instead of us presenting a plan. [Yesh Atid Party leader] Yair Lapid presented his Egyptian plan a year ago, but no one used it,” he said.

“We are now fully dependent on what President Trump says, for better and for worse. The fact that 20 living hostages and almost all deceased hostages were returned is an amazing thing and we thank him for it. But what is happening today in Gaza—the fact that we [may] see Turkish troops there and that other hostile countries will attempt to govern Gaza—I don’t know how good that is for the country,” he added.

For Davidson, the solution lies in involving countries such as Egypt, the Arab states with which Israel has the Abraham Accords agreements, and others who share the goal of improving civilian life in Gaza while dismantling Hamas. “We need to pause and come up with a plan—an Israeli plan—on what is good for the country, and together with the Americans reach an agreement.”

Davidson said he once supported a two-state solution, but the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel changed the worldview of most Israeli civilians and many politicians.

“We are not in a position to think of a two-state solution; we are not even close. In the far future, if we succeed in neutralizing Hamas’s activities and its governance of Gaza completely, if Gazans recognize the right of the Jewish nation to exist, and if they are governed by a body that recognizes the State of Israel and wants relations, then maybe, in the far future, this could happen,” he said.

Regarding Hezbollah, Davidson said he supports every action undertaken by the IDF in Lebanon. “We can’t let Hezbollah recover its military capabilities, because they will end up targeting us. This is their objective, and we must stop it. Lebanon was supposed to take all of Hezbollah’s weapons away—either destroy them or store them out of Hezbollah’s reach. But they didn’t do enough, and Israel must worry about its own security. We can’t trust anyone,” he said.

Sports for kids

Davidson, who formerly chaired the Israel Swimming Association and was a member of the Olympic Committee of Israel, now heads the Knesset’s Subcommittee on Sports Budgets.

“My view is that the more kids are busy with sports, the healthier they are. We are still behind in terms of coaching facilities and sports associations. We need a major reform so that more children in the periphery engage in sports, so there will be less drugs, less crime and less violence. We need a Cabinet decision and funding to make this change happen,” he said.

Regarding the rise of antisemitism in global sports since Oct. 7—including the Israel-Premier Tech cycling team removing “Israel” from its uniform under pressure and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) nearly banning Israel—Davidson said he worked quietly behind the scenes with the Foreign Ministry and Sports Ministry to push back.

“At the end of the day, what international sports bodies like least is political interference, especially the International Olympic Committee. So, we worked quietly to prevent these exclusions—and we succeeded,” he said.

Sports, Davidson said, is a powerful tool for public diplomacy. “When we compete in international competitions, there is a lot of media coverage, and when we win, or when an athlete represents the country respectfully, the whole nation gains respect. Sports is not only about medals or the athlete—it’s about the entire country,” he said.

He pointed to Israeli NBA basketball star Deni Avdija as an example. “Many Jews and Israelis go to see him, and his games are broadcast to millions. He’s a kid from Herzliya and in all his interviews, he talks about Israel and about fighting antisemitism. He represents us better than any foreign minister does,” Davidson said.

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