A divided society: Israel's socioeconomic crisis now at breaking point
By: H. Zaïm-Bashi
Twelve weeks into the Tel Aviv demonstrations, Israel is inundated with multi-faceted socio-political conundrum. The following are some of these crises:
1. Inadequacy of housing and related challenges
A serious shortage of supply is one of the main reasons for Israel's housing crisis, which has resulted in a 20% spike in apartment prices over the last year.
In over ninety percent of Israeli cities, the birth rate surpasses the rate of apartment development, with the gap being most prominent among ultra-Orthodox Jews and 1948 Arab communities. Based on a recent study, Beitar Illit, an illegitimate Haredi settlement in the occupied West Bank, ranked the highest in terms of housing crisis. In this Zionist settlement, only one dwelling is constructed for every sixteen births. In At-Tayba and Umm al-Fahm, one dwelling is for every nine births. According to projections, one apartment will be built for every 6.50 births in Baitul Muqaddas [Jerusalem]. As a consequence, the research predicts that the housing crisis will persist and inevitably deteriorate in the next few years.
2. A rise of 15% in the number of Jews visiting the Temple Mount
Since the beginning of 2023, 20,000 Jews have visited the Temple Mount (Al-Aqsa Mosque complex), an increase of 15% compared to the previous year. The easing of the Israeli police's restrictions concerning the visit of ultra-Orthodox Zionists since the new Netanyahu administration assumed office and Itamar Ben-Gvir's membership in the cabinet are the underlying reasons for this increase.
3. The economic disadvantage faced by Israeli women relative to men
On March 8th, to coincide with International Women's Day, the Central Bureau of Statistics of Israel released a report showing that women in Israel had higher rates of educational attainment and better health than males but lower rates of economic independence, wages, and personal security.
By the end of 2022, Israel will have over 4,860,000 women, with over 60 percent of them between the ages of 15 and 64. Jewish women marry on average at the age of 25, whereas Muslim women marry on average at the age of 22.8. Despite the fact that more women than men attend college, the employment rate for women is higher in Israel: 57.9% against 64.0% for males. Female executives only made up 31.8% of all business leaders in 2017.
The most unsettling aspect of this investigation is the sexual molestation suffered by women in Israel. Each year, about 102,000 Israeli women endure sexual abuse outside the job, and 33,000 are harassed at work.
4. The opposition parties' popularity among voters hardly budged as a result of the protests.
A Maariv report claims that, despite large-scale rallies, the opposition coalition would be in a weak position if elections were held today, with the Likud receiving 27 seats, Lapid's Yesh Atid receiving 25, Gantz's party receiving 16, and the Labor Party receiving 4.
5. There is public support for the refusal of reservists to join the army if judicial reforms are enacted.
If Netanyahu's judicial overhaul passes, the reservists' refusal to serve in the Zionist army would have unprecedented public backing.
As a consequence of the bill's passing, 87% of leftist supporters backed the refusal of reserve soldiers to serve, while roughly 70% of moderate and center-right supporters agreed.
Surprisingly, more than 31 percent of right-wing voters agree with the reserves' decision not to serve in the military.
Weekly poll results suggest strong opposition to the planned judicial reforms by Netanyahu's government.
6. Israelis do not favor visiting Jerusalem.
Even though Jerusalem is the recognized capital of Israel, many occupants of the occupied territories perceive it to be a foreign city.
Although Jerusalem is officially Israel's capital, many Israelis consider it to be an alien city. Surveys show that between fifty to eighty percent of Israelis have never been to Jerusalem before serving in the military.
As a means of integrating the religious and secular communities, it is urged that all high school students be compelled to visit Jerusalem. This program seeks to educate young people about their so-called Jewish heritage and tell them about different government agencies and civil organizations.
It just takes around 1.5 hours to drive from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, residents of Tel Aviv argue that the geographical distance between their city and Jerusalem discourages them from visiting the ancient city. In addition, secular Jews fear visiting Jerusalem for religious and nonreligious reasons.
