Civic society organizations aim to shift focus to poverty.
Photo: Ido Erez
Leading Israeli civil society groups unite in fight against poverty
Some 50 social organizations are calling on political parties, candidates to sign a petition and commit themselves to combat the staggering poverty level in Israel.
About 50 civil society organizations are calling on political parties to undertake a series of socio-economic obligations as the 2015 elections approach after poverty reports revealed the staggering amount of widespread poverty in Israel in the last few weeks. The organizations created a draft under the headline "Social Reforms 2015" with a list of demands including commitment to legislation to reduce the amount of citizens living under the poverty line.
The heads of the organizations are scheduled to meet in Tel Aviv on Monday in order to sign the draft which also demands that the government consider the War on Poverty Commission's conclusions when compiling the budget that will be approved after the elections.
Elderly citzens scrap through left-over vegetables at the Carmel market in Tel Aviv. (Photo: Ido Erez)
Israel's leading civil society organizations are expected to sign the petition which cautions that "poverty is a threat to the health of the State of Israel. It is deepening, expanding, and tearing up our society. The poverty rules out the hope for a brighter future for thousands of hundreds of Israelis and weakens their faith in society and its institutions."
The organizations further wrote in the petition: "We – the representatives of NGOs, foundations and social activists – are warning the public and its leaders of the urgent need to reduce the level poverty in Israel. The hundreds of thousands of children, elderly citizens and families live in poverty not as a result of fate but as a result of political and economic policies. We are here to cry out for those eroded by the war for survival."
Elderly man searches for food in a garbage can in Haifa. (Photo: George Ginsburg)
The organizations called on political parties running in the upcoming elections to sign the petition: "We will transform the elections into an opportunity for the public and its leaders to return the Israeli society to the way of mutual responsibility, equality and persistent concern for the weak. We call on all parties and candidates running for the 20th Knesset to commit to the provisions in this petition, and to promise their pursuit of its implementation. We call on the public to demand social reform and show its voice to the leaders – from all the corners of the political spectrum – who should declare officially that this is their path."
The organizations also demanded that wages and social benefits be secured for workers and a raise in fair pensions for elderly citizens as well as other disadvantaged populations so that they correspond to the cost of living. They also demanded that the government increase spending on social services.
The focus on the issue of poverty in Israel compounded after several reports revealed the staggering level of poverty in the nation – especially the fact that 1 in 3 children in the Jewish nation live under the poverty line.
