Opinion | Return the economic safety net Israel today

The latest poverty report confirms what the previous report stated - a social safety net is necessary and critical for the citizens of Israel, and in places where the government has intervened, there are indeed results.

But these important insights do not seem to have seeped into the new government.

The Ministry of Finance's latest measures, including the abolition of unemployment and the failure to provide significant employment alternatives, are expected to lead, according to Social Security forecasts, to an increase in poverty rates.

In light of recent data - on more than 1.9 million poor people in Israel, including 860,000 children and 158,000 seniors - a national plan to tackle the poverty epidemic is urgently needed, but the country seems to have very little motivation to produce a safety net for its citizens. And in such a situation the poor become poorer, the middle class erodes, and more working families do not close the month. The high-tech bubble and food chains are tilting growth figures in favor of the public relations press's announcements.

All over the world we are witnessing unprecedented government programs that put our hand deep in our pockets and invest in strengthening infrastructure, expanding safety nets, raising the minimum wage and more.

This is what the world's greatest economists recommend, and this is also what the public demands.

Only here is the transfer of the budget celebrated (an important achievement in itself), but the fact that it lacks at least NIS 30 billion is missing, according to conservative estimates.

Finance officials are celebrating reforms and reducing the deficit as if we were still in 2008, and the heavy price is at our expense.

Changing this reality goes through four fronts.

The first is government priorities.

Significant budgetary expansion must already be demanded for the next budget, with a framework that will increase to the region of NIS 500 billion, and there must be a clear position of all socio-political forces for this purpose.

The second front should come from the direction of local government, which has already proven its power with local initiatives and solutions.

The third front must come from the direction of the workers' organizations, with the Histadrut at their head.

The organized, large and powerful force in Israel must fulfill its role and demand the opening of wage agreements, raising the minimum wage and producing government programs for vocational training and infrastructure, to ensure the future of the state and workers.

And finally - we, the citizens.

The Israeli public has already demonstrated its deep solidarity during the Corona period, and civic initiatives are also needed on our part to strengthen the various professional factors left without a livelihood following the crisis.

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