18 dec 2018
'Movement for Strengthening Family Values' launches massive campaign against gay people’s right to have a family, distribute brochures encouraging conversion therapy outside schools.
An umbrella group of religious organizations in Israel has launched a campaign condemning LGBT relationships and decrying same sex parenthood. The campaign also includes the dissemination of fliers advocating conversion therapy and social media posts.
“Choosing Family — the Movement for Strengthening Family Values in Israel”, has launched a campaign in December declaring that “Homosexual relationships are like poison,” “sexual tendencies can change,” and “single parenting is immorale”.
The new aggressive campaign was created by religious organizations who reject the LGBTQ community, and has been launched across the country and on social media, protesting the “new families’” right to have children.
The height of this campaign was an “awareness week” and a Tel Aviv rally, that presented the struggle’s agenda as pro-traditional family structure. The campaign included brochures slamming the LGBTQ community, that were handed out in synagogues, outside schools and in youth movement venues.
Advertising stands were posted throughout the country, but special efforts focused on the center region and on Tel Aviv.
The Movement for the Strengthening of Family Values in Israel phrased a “questions and answers page regarding same-sex attraction” in preparation for their campaign.
According to the organization, “Israeli society is loyal to traditional Jewish values,” but is “under fierce attack and victim to brainwashing from the LGBTQ community,” who, it was added, “engages in media terror against those who don’t walk ‘the pride way’, and labels them as dark enemies of progress.”
“Those who only several years ago were outcasts, came together and created massive changes regarding their community,” the pamphlet said. “Their struggle is aggressive, and they force their whole world of values, language and behaviour on all of society.”
Campaign leaders said they are not going against people’s right to live their lives, but rather against “those who made their sexual preferences their central identity theme.”
The pamphlet further said that Lesbian women and Gay men can overcome their sexual preferences and change it: “when a man is really hungry and is shown something tasty, he has a strong passion to eat. But, once this man is made clear that there’s poison in this food, that will cause his immediate death, the passion and hunger goes away and is replaced with repolse and rejections,” said reading materials.
There was also mention of “conversion therapy”: “from a therapeutic point of view, it’s clear that in many cases, a person’s tendencies can be influenced. Unfortunately, because of the gay struggle, conversion therapy has been labeled as wrong, and therapists who perform these treatments feel threatened. There is an atmosphere of silencing, and only research portraying one side is addressed.”
Brochures also stated that sex-change operations are in fact conversion therapy, and are more dangerous than therapy meant to change sexual tendencies.
The questions and answers pamphlet determined that the LGBTQ demand to have a family, under the slogan “a right for parenthood” is ‘immoral, supports human trafficking and detaches men and women from their responsibilities as parents’.
“We detach children from their parents and make them orphans from the moment of birth. We deny their basic right to know their parents and grow up with them,” it said.
Rabbi Azriel Ariel, head of Choosing Family the Movement, said that, “ever since the Creator of the World determine that ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make the woman to be an authority corresponding to him,’ family has been the most ancient and sacred of social institutions. The values of family are holy, and upon them lie all values needed for a healthy, morale human environment: fellowship, acceptance, devotion, loyalty and responsibility for others.”
Meanwhile, as the campaign set off, two young men living in a Tel Aviv apartment were verbally attacked and threatened, after they put up a Rainbow Flag on their balcony. The two flatmates, one of whom gay and the other straight, said neighbors started harassing them in the past week. “We got threatening letters, saying ‘take down that flag or you’ll experience inquisition,” the two told Ynet.
“You’re inside the apartment, you can’t see the flag you put up. But for us it’s like a muleta,” wrote the neighbors.
In response to the inciting campaign, the gay community had begun fighting back, with representatives saying they have zero tolerance for campaigns hurting their community.
“Like thousands of gay people, I chose parenthood,” said Itay Pinkas Arad, Tel Aviv city councilor member who serves as chairman of the gay center in Tel Aviv. Arad is married and has three children with his partner Yoav. Togather they lead the LGBTQ protests and high court of justice motion calling for surrogacy rights in the past year.
“Life is stronger than hate-instigators, most of whom live on our expense and spread their venom. Our families are beautiful families that don’t need a permission to exist from anyone” he said.
Roi Neumann, an LGBTQ activist and participant in the recent protest, resents the institutional support of religious bodies that lead such campaigns. “The Israeli government continues to fund organizations that incite to violence with millions of Shekels worth of support. In recent years there have been a significant rise in attacks on members of the LGBTQ community. There’s been severe physical violence and verbal terror. It’s time to investigate those who instigate these events.”
“There’s neither ideology nor Judaism in this campaign. It’s an ugly, disgusting provocation. Whoever tries to build his political power on the basis of LGBTQ phobia is to discover we have zero tolerance for this,” said Hen Arieli, chairman of the LGBTQ Association.
An umbrella group of religious organizations in Israel has launched a campaign condemning LGBT relationships and decrying same sex parenthood. The campaign also includes the dissemination of fliers advocating conversion therapy and social media posts.
“Choosing Family — the Movement for Strengthening Family Values in Israel”, has launched a campaign in December declaring that “Homosexual relationships are like poison,” “sexual tendencies can change,” and “single parenting is immorale”.
The new aggressive campaign was created by religious organizations who reject the LGBTQ community, and has been launched across the country and on social media, protesting the “new families’” right to have children.
The height of this campaign was an “awareness week” and a Tel Aviv rally, that presented the struggle’s agenda as pro-traditional family structure. The campaign included brochures slamming the LGBTQ community, that were handed out in synagogues, outside schools and in youth movement venues.
Advertising stands were posted throughout the country, but special efforts focused on the center region and on Tel Aviv.
The Movement for the Strengthening of Family Values in Israel phrased a “questions and answers page regarding same-sex attraction” in preparation for their campaign.
According to the organization, “Israeli society is loyal to traditional Jewish values,” but is “under fierce attack and victim to brainwashing from the LGBTQ community,” who, it was added, “engages in media terror against those who don’t walk ‘the pride way’, and labels them as dark enemies of progress.”
“Those who only several years ago were outcasts, came together and created massive changes regarding their community,” the pamphlet said. “Their struggle is aggressive, and they force their whole world of values, language and behaviour on all of society.”
Campaign leaders said they are not going against people’s right to live their lives, but rather against “those who made their sexual preferences their central identity theme.”
The pamphlet further said that Lesbian women and Gay men can overcome their sexual preferences and change it: “when a man is really hungry and is shown something tasty, he has a strong passion to eat. But, once this man is made clear that there’s poison in this food, that will cause his immediate death, the passion and hunger goes away and is replaced with repolse and rejections,” said reading materials.
There was also mention of “conversion therapy”: “from a therapeutic point of view, it’s clear that in many cases, a person’s tendencies can be influenced. Unfortunately, because of the gay struggle, conversion therapy has been labeled as wrong, and therapists who perform these treatments feel threatened. There is an atmosphere of silencing, and only research portraying one side is addressed.”
Brochures also stated that sex-change operations are in fact conversion therapy, and are more dangerous than therapy meant to change sexual tendencies.
The questions and answers pamphlet determined that the LGBTQ demand to have a family, under the slogan “a right for parenthood” is ‘immoral, supports human trafficking and detaches men and women from their responsibilities as parents’.
“We detach children from their parents and make them orphans from the moment of birth. We deny their basic right to know their parents and grow up with them,” it said.
Rabbi Azriel Ariel, head of Choosing Family the Movement, said that, “ever since the Creator of the World determine that ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make the woman to be an authority corresponding to him,’ family has been the most ancient and sacred of social institutions. The values of family are holy, and upon them lie all values needed for a healthy, morale human environment: fellowship, acceptance, devotion, loyalty and responsibility for others.”
Meanwhile, as the campaign set off, two young men living in a Tel Aviv apartment were verbally attacked and threatened, after they put up a Rainbow Flag on their balcony. The two flatmates, one of whom gay and the other straight, said neighbors started harassing them in the past week. “We got threatening letters, saying ‘take down that flag or you’ll experience inquisition,” the two told Ynet.
“You’re inside the apartment, you can’t see the flag you put up. But for us it’s like a muleta,” wrote the neighbors.
In response to the inciting campaign, the gay community had begun fighting back, with representatives saying they have zero tolerance for campaigns hurting their community.
“Like thousands of gay people, I chose parenthood,” said Itay Pinkas Arad, Tel Aviv city councilor member who serves as chairman of the gay center in Tel Aviv. Arad is married and has three children with his partner Yoav. Togather they lead the LGBTQ protests and high court of justice motion calling for surrogacy rights in the past year.
“Life is stronger than hate-instigators, most of whom live on our expense and spread their venom. Our families are beautiful families that don’t need a permission to exist from anyone” he said.
Roi Neumann, an LGBTQ activist and participant in the recent protest, resents the institutional support of religious bodies that lead such campaigns. “The Israeli government continues to fund organizations that incite to violence with millions of Shekels worth of support. In recent years there have been a significant rise in attacks on members of the LGBTQ community. There’s been severe physical violence and verbal terror. It’s time to investigate those who instigate these events.”
“There’s neither ideology nor Judaism in this campaign. It’s an ugly, disgusting provocation. Whoever tries to build his political power on the basis of LGBTQ phobia is to discover we have zero tolerance for this,” said Hen Arieli, chairman of the LGBTQ Association.
Israel’s Knesset approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointment as war minister on Monday evening after opposition MKs spoke out against the move for nearly three hours.
The war portfolio opened up when Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman resigned last month, and Netanyahu automatically retained it, as happens to the prime minister when any minister resigns.
However, the automatic situation would have lasted for only three months, which is why the vote was needed.
Netanyahu also retains the Foreign Ministry, to which he plans to appoint a minister next month; the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, which he said he would give to someone else this week; and the Health Ministry, which is controlled by Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman.
On Sunday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, both of Bayit Yehudi, abstained from the cabinet vote to approve Netanyahu as war minister, arguing that someone should have the position full-time.
The war portfolio opened up when Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman resigned last month, and Netanyahu automatically retained it, as happens to the prime minister when any minister resigns.
However, the automatic situation would have lasted for only three months, which is why the vote was needed.
Netanyahu also retains the Foreign Ministry, to which he plans to appoint a minister next month; the Immigration and Absorption Ministry, which he said he would give to someone else this week; and the Health Ministry, which is controlled by Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman.
On Sunday, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, both of Bayit Yehudi, abstained from the cabinet vote to approve Netanyahu as war minister, arguing that someone should have the position full-time.
Australia’s announcement on Saturday, that it would only recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, reportedly left the Israeli occupation disappointed, according to Al Ray Palestinian Media Agency.
In his speech to Channel 10, a senior official said that the Israeli occupation was disappointed that Australia didn’t recognize the entire city as the capital of Israel.
“We’re disappointed with the Australian decision,” said the official. “Morrison only went half-way. It’s a step in the right direction, but we expected more.”
Following the announcement, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said that he was “surprised” to hear that Australia only recognized the city’s western half as Israel’s capital.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had announced, on Saturday, that Australia recognizes West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Australia recognizes West Jerusalem, the seat of the Knesset and many government institutions, as the capital of Israel,” Morrison said at a press conference.
However, Morrison stressed that the embassy would not move to West Jerusalem until a peace agreement was reached between Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority, but said that his government would establish an office that would deal with security and trade.
For their part, Arab League accused Australia of bias and called on the Morrison government to recognize the Palestinian state, which North America, Western Europe, Japan and several other countries refuse to do.
The criticism was blunted by one of its own members, Bahrain, which said Australia’s decision to partially follow the US position wouldn’t hurt the Palestinian cause for an independent nation.
“Australia’s stance does not impact the legitimate Palestinian demands, first among them being East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and it does not contradict the Arab Peace Initiative,” Bahraini foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa tweeted.
In his speech to Channel 10, a senior official said that the Israeli occupation was disappointed that Australia didn’t recognize the entire city as the capital of Israel.
“We’re disappointed with the Australian decision,” said the official. “Morrison only went half-way. It’s a step in the right direction, but we expected more.”
Following the announcement, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said that he was “surprised” to hear that Australia only recognized the city’s western half as Israel’s capital.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had announced, on Saturday, that Australia recognizes West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
“Australia recognizes West Jerusalem, the seat of the Knesset and many government institutions, as the capital of Israel,” Morrison said at a press conference.
However, Morrison stressed that the embassy would not move to West Jerusalem until a peace agreement was reached between Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority, but said that his government would establish an office that would deal with security and trade.
For their part, Arab League accused Australia of bias and called on the Morrison government to recognize the Palestinian state, which North America, Western Europe, Japan and several other countries refuse to do.
The criticism was blunted by one of its own members, Bahrain, which said Australia’s decision to partially follow the US position wouldn’t hurt the Palestinian cause for an independent nation.
“Australia’s stance does not impact the legitimate Palestinian demands, first among them being East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, and it does not contradict the Arab Peace Initiative,” Bahraini foreign minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa tweeted.
17 dec 2018
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel with his son Yair in 2015. Facebook removed several posts by Yair Netanyahu, now 27, about Palestinians and Muslims.
In a Facebook post a few days ago, one of the Israeli prime minister’s sons said he hoped the deaths of two Israeli soldiers killed by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank would be “avenged” and said, “There will never be peace with the monsters in human form known since 1964 as ‘Palestinians.’”
In other posts, Yair Netanyahu, the older son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would prefer an Israel without any Muslims and mused that no attacks occurred “in Iceland and Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims.”
Facebook removed the posts after a flood of complaints, saying they “included hate speech” and clearly violated the community standards. On Sunday, after Yair Netanyahu reposted a screenshot of one of the offending posts online and called on people to share it, the social networking giant suspended his account for 24 hours.
So he took to Twitter.
There he reposted a diatribe he had written against Facebook, describing it as “thought police” and protesting that it hosted “endless pages that call for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.”
In a Facebook post a few days ago, one of the Israeli prime minister’s sons said he hoped the deaths of two Israeli soldiers killed by a Palestinian gunman in the West Bank would be “avenged” and said, “There will never be peace with the monsters in human form known since 1964 as ‘Palestinians.’”
In other posts, Yair Netanyahu, the older son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he would prefer an Israel without any Muslims and mused that no attacks occurred “in Iceland and Japan where coincidentally there are no Muslims.”
Facebook removed the posts after a flood of complaints, saying they “included hate speech” and clearly violated the community standards. On Sunday, after Yair Netanyahu reposted a screenshot of one of the offending posts online and called on people to share it, the social networking giant suspended his account for 24 hours.
So he took to Twitter.
There he reposted a diatribe he had written against Facebook, describing it as “thought police” and protesting that it hosted “endless pages that call for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews.”
A poster of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, showing him as a target is seen at a checkpoint near the Jewish settlements, in Nablus, Ramallah on December 11, 2018
A member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, called on Sunday for the President of the Palestinian Authority to have his head “chopped off”.
Oren Hazzan MK made the comment about Mahmoud Abbas, as well as his Deputy, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, during a march held by illegal settlers in Jerusalem, Maan News Agency has reported.
Dozens of settlers gathered in and around Jerusalem’s Old City chanting racist slogans against Abbas and calling for him to be killed. In the evening, they gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house and burnt pictures of Abbas. Banners held by the settlers called for the PA leader’s assassination.
“We call for the complete approval of the settlements in Ofra and Amona,” Hazzan declared. Addressing his remarks to government ministers, he added, “We want to go back to Givaat. Stop evading your responsibility. We want to have the head of Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and his deputy chopped off.
The life of one of our soldiers is equal to the life of 100 terrorists. We want all the terrorists to be executed.”
Many Israeli officials refer to the Palestinians as “terrorists” whether or not they are involved in legitimate resistance activities.
Last week, Israeli settlers carried out attacks and instigated clashes with Palestinians in different areas across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
On most occasions, the heavily armed settlers are protected by Israeli soldiers and police officers when they gather for demonstrations and terrorist attacks on Palestinians and their homes.
READ: Israel settlers call for Abbas’ assassination
A member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, called on Sunday for the President of the Palestinian Authority to have his head “chopped off”.
Oren Hazzan MK made the comment about Mahmoud Abbas, as well as his Deputy, Mahmoud Al-Aloul, during a march held by illegal settlers in Jerusalem, Maan News Agency has reported.
Dozens of settlers gathered in and around Jerusalem’s Old City chanting racist slogans against Abbas and calling for him to be killed. In the evening, they gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house and burnt pictures of Abbas. Banners held by the settlers called for the PA leader’s assassination.
“We call for the complete approval of the settlements in Ofra and Amona,” Hazzan declared. Addressing his remarks to government ministers, he added, “We want to go back to Givaat. Stop evading your responsibility. We want to have the head of Abu Mazen [Mahmoud Abbas] and his deputy chopped off.
The life of one of our soldiers is equal to the life of 100 terrorists. We want all the terrorists to be executed.”
Many Israeli officials refer to the Palestinians as “terrorists” whether or not they are involved in legitimate resistance activities.
Last week, Israeli settlers carried out attacks and instigated clashes with Palestinians in different areas across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.
On most occasions, the heavily armed settlers are protected by Israeli soldiers and police officers when they gather for demonstrations and terrorist attacks on Palestinians and their homes.
READ: Israel settlers call for Abbas’ assassination
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday evening said Israeli relations with Arab countries have been increasingly normalized.
"A great change has been created here. The Arab world needs technology and innovation. It needs water, electricity, medical care and high-tech. There is a growing connection between Israeli companies and the Arab world,” he said.
“What is happening at the moment is that we are in a process of normalization with the Arab world without progress in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians,” continued Netanyahu.
“Today we are going there without the Palestinians being involved and it is much stronger because it does not depend on their caprices. The Arab states are looking for links with the strong. Cultivating strengths gives us diplomatic power.”
“It is more likely that it will work in reverse. Links with the Arab world will bring normalization and create the conditions for developing links with the Palestinians," concluded Netanyahu.
"A great change has been created here. The Arab world needs technology and innovation. It needs water, electricity, medical care and high-tech. There is a growing connection between Israeli companies and the Arab world,” he said.
“What is happening at the moment is that we are in a process of normalization with the Arab world without progress in the diplomatic process with the Palestinians,” continued Netanyahu.
“Today we are going there without the Palestinians being involved and it is much stronger because it does not depend on their caprices. The Arab states are looking for links with the strong. Cultivating strengths gives us diplomatic power.”
“It is more likely that it will work in reverse. Links with the Arab world will bring normalization and create the conditions for developing links with the Palestinians," concluded Netanyahu.
16 dec 2018
Israel's Ministerial Committee for Legislation is scheduled to discuss a new bill imposing a one-year prison sentence on individuals who raise Palestinian flags during demonstrations, according to Haaretz.
Drafted by MK Anat Berko, the bill stipulates that any gathering of at least of three people raising the flag of a state or an entity that is not friend with Israel or that prevents the raising of the flag of Israel will be considered illegal.
Anyone who participates in a prohibited gathering would be subjected to up to a year in prison.
The bill defines the states that are not friends with Israel as the "states who do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state".
Berko, in her justification, wrote that Israel is a democratic state which allows its citizens to protest against different issues; however, the new bill draws a red line between the legal protest and the protest where the flags of the countries that do not recognize Israel are raised.
Drafted by MK Anat Berko, the bill stipulates that any gathering of at least of three people raising the flag of a state or an entity that is not friend with Israel or that prevents the raising of the flag of Israel will be considered illegal.
Anyone who participates in a prohibited gathering would be subjected to up to a year in prison.
The bill defines the states that are not friends with Israel as the "states who do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state".
Berko, in her justification, wrote that Israel is a democratic state which allows its citizens to protest against different issues; however, the new bill draws a red line between the legal protest and the protest where the flags of the countries that do not recognize Israel are raised.
15 dec 2018
No food, no heating and no medication - one NGO paints a dismal image of the Jewish state in winter 2018
With Israelis bracing for expected consumer price increases, a local NGO has delivered a dismal image of more than one million children living in poverty in the Jewish state.
According to the report by Latet (Hebrew for "to give"), there are more than two million Israelis — 1.3 million adults and more than 1 million children - defined as poor. Overall, about one quarter of Israelis suffer from economic difficulties and meet various Latet criteria for living below the poverty line.
The report states that almost one-quarter of Israeli children require welfare services, and more than one third of them skip at least one meal a day due to economic distress. The data also shows that 6% of aid-dependent children were forced to solicit donations and 5.7% had to collect food from the floor or from garbage cans. Among the elderly poor, the situation is deteriorating: 92% of them reported that their pension was insufficient and two-thirds said they were unable to maintain their health properly.
Of those families defined as poor, 53% of the families said that they did not have enough food, and 72% feared that their food supplies would be finished before there was any more money. The distress also affects early childhood: 47% of aid recipients were forced to forgo milk substitute for their young children.
The high cost of living severely affects weaker families: 71% of aid recipients are in debt; 49% are in foreclosure proceedings and more than half of poor families do not have access to heating as winter approaches. Two-thirds of aid recipients were forced to forgo medicine and 85% had to give up dental care. The report also depicted a particularly bleak image: 11% of aid recipients thought about ending or actually attempted to end their lives.
"When there are more than half a million poor families and more than a million poor children, you cannot just get used to it and accept it," says Latet chairman Gilles Darmon. "Israeli governments may have gotten used to having so many poor people, but the poor children will never get used to it."
Darmon and and Latet DG Eran Weintraub have called on representatives of all political parties, especially with elections looming, to focus on poverty mitigation.
The poverty index drawn up by Latet differs from that of the National Insurance Institute. Latet claims that there is a disparity of half a million people who live below the poverty line, as the NII only uses income to define poverty. Anyone who earns less than NIS 3,000 a month (about one third of the national average wage) is considered poor by the NII.
Latet on the other hand defines poverty using a number of other factors, including food and medication shortages.
* The survey was carried out by the ERI research institute, using a representative sample of Jews and Arabs across all segments of the Israeli population.
Last month, Welfare Minister Haim Katz lashed out at planned cuts to his budget, warning that he would "not allow little girls to descend into prostitution," in order to fund pay rises for police officers. The cuts also affect the Welfare Ministry's program to lift families out of the cycle of poverty.
With Israelis bracing for expected consumer price increases, a local NGO has delivered a dismal image of more than one million children living in poverty in the Jewish state.
According to the report by Latet (Hebrew for "to give"), there are more than two million Israelis — 1.3 million adults and more than 1 million children - defined as poor. Overall, about one quarter of Israelis suffer from economic difficulties and meet various Latet criteria for living below the poverty line.
The report states that almost one-quarter of Israeli children require welfare services, and more than one third of them skip at least one meal a day due to economic distress. The data also shows that 6% of aid-dependent children were forced to solicit donations and 5.7% had to collect food from the floor or from garbage cans. Among the elderly poor, the situation is deteriorating: 92% of them reported that their pension was insufficient and two-thirds said they were unable to maintain their health properly.
Of those families defined as poor, 53% of the families said that they did not have enough food, and 72% feared that their food supplies would be finished before there was any more money. The distress also affects early childhood: 47% of aid recipients were forced to forgo milk substitute for their young children.
The high cost of living severely affects weaker families: 71% of aid recipients are in debt; 49% are in foreclosure proceedings and more than half of poor families do not have access to heating as winter approaches. Two-thirds of aid recipients were forced to forgo medicine and 85% had to give up dental care. The report also depicted a particularly bleak image: 11% of aid recipients thought about ending or actually attempted to end their lives.
"When there are more than half a million poor families and more than a million poor children, you cannot just get used to it and accept it," says Latet chairman Gilles Darmon. "Israeli governments may have gotten used to having so many poor people, but the poor children will never get used to it."
Darmon and and Latet DG Eran Weintraub have called on representatives of all political parties, especially with elections looming, to focus on poverty mitigation.
The poverty index drawn up by Latet differs from that of the National Insurance Institute. Latet claims that there is a disparity of half a million people who live below the poverty line, as the NII only uses income to define poverty. Anyone who earns less than NIS 3,000 a month (about one third of the national average wage) is considered poor by the NII.
Latet on the other hand defines poverty using a number of other factors, including food and medication shortages.
* The survey was carried out by the ERI research institute, using a representative sample of Jews and Arabs across all segments of the Israeli population.
Last month, Welfare Minister Haim Katz lashed out at planned cuts to his budget, warning that he would "not allow little girls to descend into prostitution," in order to fund pay rises for police officers. The cuts also affect the Welfare Ministry's program to lift families out of the cycle of poverty.
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