A poor man with his bags, Jerusalem (file)
A poor man with his bags, Jerusalem (file)Flash90

81% of Israelis living in poverty believe they will always be poor, according to a new study of Israel’s poorest citizens commissioned by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) and by the Shvakim Panorama research institute.

A recent study of Israeli revealed that 1.7 million Israelis, 22% of the population, live below the poverty line, including 776,500 children.

The Shvakim study, which was released at The IFCJ’s Conference to Reduce Poverty and Social Inequality in Israel at the Peres Center for Peace in Jaffa Wednesday, showed rising levels of despair and anger among those living in poverty in Israel.

Over 80% of poor Israelis do not believe that their economic situation will improve. Nearly as many do not believe that their children will be significantly better off financially than they are now.

A quarter say that they would move to another country if they could, and 65% say that they have lost faith in the country's institutions.

“The survey reveals extremely worrisome statistics on the severity of poverty in Israel, and should serve as a wake up call for leaders of our country and its citizens,” said the IFCJ's founder and president, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. “Poverty is a real threat to Israel’s social fabric and ability to function. It is time for the Israeli government to declare all-out war on poverty with the same determination and the same financial commitment it makes to combat security threats.”