Israel: the shattering of a dream – Michael Roberts

“The ‘socialist dream’ of the early Israeli state has now given way to the capitalist reality.  The gap between the lowest and highest earners in Israel is the second highest in the industrialized world, and the child poverty rate is second only to Mexico among developed countries.  An average of one in three Israeli children are living in poverty, with one in five families subsisting well below the poverty line.

“Israel is one of the most unequal high-income countries. The bottom 50% of the population earn on average NIS 57,900, while the top 10% earn 19 times more. Thus, inequality levels are similar to those in the US, with the bottom 50% of the population earning 13% of total national income, while the top 10% share is 49%

“Of course, poverty and the inequality gap is much greater for the Arab citizens of Israel who represent around 20% of Israel’s population.  But poverty rates are also high in orthodox Jewish communities, which represent one-tenth of the population. As for Gaza and the West bank, poverty levels are horrendous.“

---