Polls & Research

Unexpected Budget Cuts Upset Many in Israel

- Many Israeli adults are disappointed with their government's decision to cut the welfare budgets in order to finance the cost of the recent war against Hezbollah, according to a poll by the Dahaf Institute for the Macro Center for Political Economy. 58 per cent of respondents believe the measures are completely unjustified.

On Jul. 12, Hezbollah militants based in Lebanon killed eight Israeli soldiers and captured two more in a cross-border attack. The Israeli armed forces launched air strikes inside Lebanese territory to fight Hezbollah, targeting the country's infrastructure and its airport. Hezbollah retaliated by firing rockets into several Israeli towns.

A ceasefire brokered by the United Nations (UN) came into effect on Aug. 14. Security Council Resolution 1701 calls for "a full cessation of hostilities" from both sides and allows Lebanese government troops and a 15,000-member peacekeeping force to enter into southern Lebanon during the withdrawal of Israeli forces, but sets no timetable for the disarmament of Hezbollah or the return of the two abducted Israeli soldiers.

Last month, Israel's Ministry of Finance revealed that it was planning a series of restructuring measures, including a quicker procedure for laying off government employees, university tuition hikes, and cuts to the benefits of discharged soldiers.

The Labour party—which is part of the governing coalition along with the Kadima party, the Retired People's Party (Gil) and the International Organization of Torah-observant Sephardic Jews (Shas)—has rejected the proposals.

Polling Data

Do you think the cuts in the welfare budgets aimed at financing the costs of the war in northern Israel are justified or unjustified?