The Knesset on Tuesday passed on its first reading a bill introduced by MK Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) that would ensure what she termed “nutritional security” for all Israelis. The bill, suggested by the Yedid social service organization, would place on the government the responsibility for ensuring that all Israelis have enough to eat. Under the bill, the Welfare Ministry would set up a division that would set a policy for dealing with situations where people do not have enough to eat.
Introducing the bill, MK Avraham said that the bill would ensure that the state was in charge of making sure that people had enough to eat, instead of forcing the poor to rely on charity and handouts from private organizations. “This law will provide an organizational structure and plans to help solve this serious problem,” she said.
According to Avraham, a poll showed that 54% of Israelis believed that government, not private organizations, needed to be in charge of feeding the poor.