Israel lingers in major poverty against propaganda

While the Israeli government speaks of glowing economy in its annual reports or Knesset speeches, poverty continues to grow among Israeli population.

Israel has long applied for accession to OECD group, a major European-based economic entity which groups 30 upper economy countries. Israel however has been kept behind OECD doors as it has failed to meet several economic indexes demanded by OECD, including the rate of poverty.

A most recent report carried by insider website www.israelnewsagency.com showed that in 2005, one in five Israelis had been below poverty line. The same report indicated that one in three Israeli children was hungry in the same year.

Updates to such reports are difficult to come by as the regime has for long staged a full media blackout, especially in a bid to reverse an ever widening emigration trend. Nonetheless, a browse of internet pages may produce few data. For example, a portal affiliated to OECD organization available at www.community.oecd.org has carried a revealing report on Jan 20, 2010 indicating that the poverty rate has failed to contract despite a major economic drive by the Israeli government in a bid to have its OECD application approved.

The OECD report reaffirms that the one-in-five proportion is still in place, contrary to statements by Israeli authorities.

The report also notes the extent of poverty largely stems from a high rate of joblessness in the population; about 40% of people of working age have no jobs.

Another recent leakage appeared in the same insider website which sarcastically deplored that amid a fanfare over 62nd anniversary of Israel establishment, the bitter reality has surmised that the greatest challenge facing Israel population is to be able to pay one's electric and gas bills rather than daily threats from Hamas or Syria.

The same report pointed to a 10-percent unemployment rate in Israel, a big two percent larger than announced by Israeli Central Bank.

The poverty trend has had several major permutations for the Israeli community, including an ever widening interest in emigration to countries of origin where more life opportunities are at hand.

Joel Leyden, author of the insider website has revealed that 650,000 Israelis are now living abroad, with 450,000 of them in North America, hinting at a severe brain drain.

Facing the challenges, 1,600,000 impoverished people have apparently made their mind to excuse themselves in a major exodus, a nightmare for an Israel which has been built up by a trickling of aspirant welfare-seekers.