Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Israelis real war - the class war

"Throughout the last decade, poverty in Israel has significantly increased. Social gaps have widened and the obstacles to escaping poverty have increased," said Latet Executive Director Eran Weintraub

Some 1.77 million people live in poverty in Israel, of them more than 850,000 children, according to an "alternative poverty report" published by the non-profit organization Latet. The report portrays the situation on the ground and is based on the testimonies of 520 non-governmental organizations.

75% of impoverished individuals in Israel forgo meals due to their financial situation, a 21% rise from 2009.

83% of children did not receive dental care and 22% of the poor confessed that they have had suicidal thoughts due to their economic status.

5% of impoverished children beg for money in order to survive.

8% of children are forced to steal food.

About half of poor children are nourished from solely bread and spread.

In regards to employment, the study shows that 30% of poor individuals who get support from NGOs are employed, while 60% are unemployed who have been out of a job for over three years, an increase of 11% in comparison to 2009.

150 soup kitchens aid 60,000 of 223,000 impoverished families - of them 530,000 children.

"In any other enlightened place in the world the failure of our anti-social policy would long have justified a civilian rebellion, but the poor in Israel have no political power. We hope to soon begin the change which will be a civilian protest that will lead the fight against poverty." Weintraub added

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