The International Monetary Fund posted on its webpage the concluding statement of the 2012 Article IV consultation mission to Israel. The statement highlights that Israel's economy remains strong, which reflects Israel's strong policy framework. The statement also included the following statement:
"Despite strong growth, overall poverty is among the highest in the OECD, raising sharp social and sustainability concerns, notably in the Israeli-Arab and Haredi communities."
According to Haaretz, “Israel is now
one of the three IMF members with the worst inequality.” So, how did Prime
Minister Netanyahu respond to the rise in inequality and poverty in his country as a whole and in the two communities specifically (29% of the Israeli population)? Well, in the
most bizarre way. Excerpt from Haaretz below:
The State of Israel is doing "not badly" compared to other countries, and "if you deduct the Arabs and ultra-Orthodox from inequality indexes, we're in great shape," Netanyahu told The Marker in a pre-holiday interview published Thursday.
In the same token, I’d say Egypt
is doing “not badly” with regard to democracy compared to other countries, if
you deduct the Islamists and SCAF.
Excluding the problem from the equation
makes it look better but doesn’t solve the problem. It is always, in a twisted way, reassuring to be reminded how
most politicians, regardless of their country, are capable of embarrassing
spin and empty propaganda.
