The hurt that I feel for these disenfranchised poor people is all the more tragic when Israel has so much real wealth. My country, the UK is often critisised, quite rightly for its various shortcomings viz a viz its international behaviour, its complacency in the hardship inflicted upon the low paid and unemployed but at every turn one is aware of very real attempts to balance the equation even though it takes too long. How on earth that a new narion of 65 years, able to see the mistakes of others does not realise the potential for social strife by following such a dogmatic and unrealistic program that hurts the poverty stricken even more. %s for this level or that level of society bearing the brunt of balancing the books takes no account that the relatively affluent can bear the strain but what are the poor going to do without; their already meagre lifestyle dictates every waking hour. Perhaps Netanyahu and his ilk should perhaps consider using a reclining seat on his air trips and forget his £80,000 bed as I am sure that his tasteful and lovely wife would agree.

Do you still think that people think you look good in your black t-shirt? You narcissistic low life.

Maybe people should start working for a living instead of receiving stipdends constantly from the govt for having children. Here here Lapid!

in order to pay the outstanding Arab electric bills of almost 1 billion shekel plus other goodwill gestures.

Lapid seemed not to notice the fact that not all middles class earners are not Riki Cohen who is in the top end of the middle class tax bracket and so earn enough not to be hurt to badly by the cuts. Some tax rises and cutbacks were needed when you have debts you have to repay them but what Lapid did wrong was just cut the budget across the board and put up taxes all the taxes he could put up. Instead of surgery we got a sledge hammer. Unfortunately voting for Labor won't solve the problems because Shelly is so far to the left that she would overspend which would go down very well amongst the left and happy days would be here again for the first couple of years but then reality would set in and we would have to make even bigger cuts than Lapid has done. Finance is a job for unelected experts who will look at the situation and then present a budget to the Knesset not a politician.

I agree with you 101%. Kol Hakavod

All those people following your words are shocked by your deeds. Thanks to you the poor will become poorer. Better leave finance now, before being forced to quit politics altogether.

The government is making millions off gas/oil royalties from the Med. Gas Fields. Not to mention, the potential income from from the shale oil/gas deposits found in the Judean Desert..... Why increase taxes?