The Jewish Agency\'s weekly publication, Global Jewish Agenda, reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a surprisingly optimistic projection for Israel, predicting a growth rate next year of 5.4% for the Israeli economy. The Finance Ministry had based its budget proposal for the coming year on projected growth of only 4% - and the Bank of Israel was severely critical of even this level. The IMF expects that the Israeli economy will recover more rapidly than any other developed country, and that unemployment in Israel will drop to from 9% to 8% next year.