UNICEF: More than one third of Israeli children live in poverty

[Jefferson23]

Report by UN agency for children puts Israel in highest bracket for child poverty in developed world; figures tally with NII report that 817,200 children live below poverty line in Israel; UNICEF Israel: This report is a warning light for country.

Telem Yahav
Published: 10.30.14, 11:48 / Israel News

They don't participate in economic discussions, and they don't know how to read budget reports; but they do know and experience the meaning of the term, poverty, on a daily basis. Some 35.6 percent of children in Israel are poor children, according to a newly published UNICEF report.

The UN agency's report, relating to 2012, ranks Israel a dubious fourth in terms of child poverty in the developed world, with only Spain (36.3 percent), Latvia (38.2 percent) and Greece (40.5 percent) worse off. Scandinavian countries boast relatively low rates of child poverty – 5.3 percent in Norway, 8.8 percent in Finland, and 10.2 percent in Denmark; in Germany, according to the report, the child poverty rate stands at 15 percent.

Because poverty is a disputed concept, in explaining the figures they arrived at, the authors of the UNICEF report noted that in most countries, the poverty line runs somewhere between 50 and 60 percent of the median annual family income. For example, UNICEF's previous report, in 2008, set the poverty line in Israel at NIS 2,256 shekels per capita – exactly 50 percent of the median annual income per capita that same year (NIS 4,513).

The researchers also compared the 2012 poverty line to the poverty line in 2008, the start of the global economic crisis. This comparison allowed the researchers to show how the economic situation of families all over the world deteriorated as a result of the sharp drop in the median family income caused by the recession.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4586147,00.html

[oberliner]

1. I think we know the reason for this

Though it may not be acceptable to say so in polite society.

[Jefferson23]

2. Spell it out, I have no idea what you're referring to.

Since when does poverty need to covered with politeness?

[oberliner]

5. Orthodox Jewish families have way too many kids and can't afford to support them

When your two highest values are spending as much time as possible studying Torah and being fruitful and multiplying - that leads to families of 10+ with nobody to bring home the bacon, excuse the euphemism.

[Jefferson23]

7. If that's accurate a reason to explain their overall economic issues, and I don't know

if it is...it should be discussed without fear of being impolite, no?

[oberliner]

8. Almost sixty percent of Israel's ultra-orthodox families live in poverty

Only about 40 percent of adult ultra-orthodox men have jobs.

The average ultra-orthodox woman has between 6 and 7 children.

[Jefferson23]

11. Again, if that is the main reason, I don't know. There are other explanations that appear

to give a more accurate account of the fall out of Israel's economic problems regarding
poverty.

Israel has More Poverty than Any Developed Country

The OECD, like Israeli protestors, turns a blind eye to the occupation, which has become the greatest drain on Israel's welfare system - October 3, 14

SHIR HEVER, TRNN PRODUCER: The image which the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs promotes of Israel is an image of a prosperous economy, a powerhouse of innovation.

As part of the efforts to present Israel as a success story, Israel applied for membership in the OECD, the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation, and received it.

The organization publishes statistics about the member states and promotes certain kinds of reforms, usually associated with neoliberal values. OECD statistics have undermined the goal of Israel's reason to join the OECD. These statistics show that Israel suffers from extreme level of inequality, its education system is among the worst in the OECD, and its poverty is the highest compared to all OECD countries.

It should be noted that the OECD decided not to include statistics about the occupied Palestinian territory and the occupied Syrian Golan, because the member states of the OECD don't recognize these areas as part of Israel. But because the OECD relies on Israeli published statistics, the actual data published by the OECD reflects a segregated picture. While colonists from the occupied territories are included in the reports, the 4 million Palestinians who are also part of the Israeli economy are ignored by the OECD.

Israel's overall tax income as a proportion of its GDP is higher than that of Chile, Mexico, and Turkey, for example, and is even higher than the weighted average of all OECD countries, but Israel's poverty rate is the highest compared to all of these countries.

So what explains Israel's failing welfare system and raging poverty rate? The most prominent feature of the Israeli economy is its high military expenditure. In proportion to its budget, it is higher than any OECD country. Even the U.S, the second-biggest spender on the military, spends about 4.5 percent of its GDP on the military, while Israel spends, according to official numbers, between 7 and 9 percent. Unofficial sources speak of much higher ratios.

But the cost of Israel's massive military and security apparatus is not equally distributed among the population. The Boston Consulting Group recently published its Global Wealth Report for 2012, in which it was revealed that Israel is the country with the tenth-highest ratio of millionaires compared to its population. In relation to households considered "ultra-high-net-worth", Israel is eighth place, even higher than the United States.

The stark inequality and high poverty rate can explain the social protests in Israel which took place in the last two summers. The so called "Tent movement" or the "J14 Movement" demanded a change in priorities and a return to social programs. The protestors demanded that the government take responsibility over the standard of living of the population and do something about the rising costs of living while income remains stagnant.

http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=10303

[oberliner]

12. If you take out the ultra-orthodox, Israel's poverty level is lower than the US

The number drops to 11 percent without them which is about the same as Australia, South Korea - lower than the US, Japan.

[Jefferson23]

13. Appears the problem is more related to the military expense and the endless occupation.

It also seems the ultra-Orthodox are used as a convenient scapegoat at times,
not to ignore the facts related to their non-working status. Yet to suggest they're
the main problem seems over inflated.

[oberliner]

14. That is definitely not true

If Israel slashed the military budget in half and ended the occupation, the result would actually be a net negative for the Israeli economy and would put more children at risk of living in poverty.

On the other hand, if ultra-orthodox men worked in higher numbers, and ultra-orthodox women had fewer babies, then the problem (if there is one) would essentially disappear.

I say "if there is one" because much of those who are "in poverty" by survey standards do not actually view that as being a problem. They are living on very little money by their own choice and are comfortable with that decision.

Certainly not scapegoating the ultra-orthodox, if they don't mind living in poverty, that's their choice (as long as the rest of the country doesn't have to foot the bill).

[Jefferson23]

15. So in your opinion, the occupation is a win-win for the economy.

I don't know what to say to your opinion that they, the ultra- Orthodox, do
not view their poverty as a problem...other than it's one of the more
incredible statements I have read about them, thus far.

[oberliner]

19. This is why I made my original comment

To not get into this back and forth and be accuse of "scapegoating" the ultra-Orthodox or whatever else you are accusing me of here.

[Jefferson23]

20. I'm not accusing you, per se. There is an Israeli point of view that one sees in

their editorials etc, where they express the non working status as a major
factor, while completely ignoring the occupation.

You're not an Israeli citizen, right? So how can you be responsible for scapegoating
the ultra-Orthodox?

You seem to believe with certainty the issue rests mostly with this group and
I am reading it's a much broader set of variables...that's where we differ.

[Mosby]

16. 75 percent of haredi children live below the poverty line

https://www.google.com/#safe=off&q=percent+of+israeli+haredim+living+in+poverty

See top link to a pdf.

[Jefferson23]

17. Thanks. I agree there is concern and rightly so, regarding their education or lack there

of. I also acknowledge the financial aspect of their non-working status, yet all
of that does not add up as the main problem. The military expenditures and the occupation/security costs
point to a broader problem for the economy, at least from what I have read.

[Mosby]

18. the high military spending probably doesn't help the situation

Though as oberliner pointed out the israeli mic does produce jobs and economic activity just like in the US but I don't know how things would look without the occupation and suspect no one really does.

Clearly though addressing the low employment numbers among the Haredi would directly deal with poverty, regardless of government spending.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. 21.8% of American children live in poverty.

I can see why so many children in Palestine live in poverty, but what's America's excuse?

TBH, I think Palestine's doing pretty well in keeping kids out of poverty, given the challenges they face.

[Jefferson23]

4. We have failed economic policies that began in recent history with the St. Reagan reign. n/t

[oberliner]

6. These statistics are for Israel, not Palestine

Did you not read the article?

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

9. I thought they were considering Israel and Palestine as a unit.

Is the article saying these are the numbers ignoring the Palestinian population of Israeli controlled lands?

If that's the case, then the numbers are even more shocking.

[oberliner]

10. I believe that UNICEF considers "The Palestinian Territories" as a separate entity

For surveys like this one, that definitely appears to be the case.