In an attempt to address Israel's rising levels of violence, Welfare and Social Services Ministry Director-General Nahum Itzkovitz called on the Treasury Wednesday to increase taxes on alcoholic beverages. "It is clear that when the price of alcohol is high and young people are not able to purchase it, then the level of violence is reduced," said Itzkovitz following a University of Haifa conference entitled "Violence: From the Headlines to Reality."
Itzkovitz presented data on violence in Israel and drew on international studies to demonstrate the link between alcohol consumption and violent behavior. His talk highlighted the significant increase in domestic and community-wide violence over the past two years, according to Haaretz.