|
  |
|
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Economic woes low on Israeli radar
By CNN's Michael Holmes
BET SHE-'AN, Israel (CNN) -- As Israelis deal with the daily fear of bombs and bullets, they also find themselves in the midst of their country's worst economy in half a century. Last year 50,000 small businesses closed, 60,000 will close this year and their government, already receiving $3 billion a year in U.S. aid, has asked for billions more. Will the shaky economy decide who wins the Israeli Elections? Not likely. Not so long ago Israel was a high-tech oasis in the Middle East, with foreign investment and plenty of jobs but no longer. The intifada has been expensive in more than lives. Local and domestic investor confidence is down, tourism has collapsed and the once booming tech sector slumped. GDP and investment is down, inflation and unemployment up -- economic growth has become an oxymoron. You'd think all this bad news would put the economy on the political front burner, a major election issue both for politicians and those who elect them. But you'd be wrong, very wrong. Tourism -- down a massive 80 percent in the past two years – has suffered tremendously. In Yardenit, on the Jordan river, the place Christians believe Jesus was baptized, there used to be 1,200 pilgrims a day. Now, maybe 20. Another vivid illustration is Bet She-'an, northern Israel, a roman era archeological site that used to draw 20 tour buses a day, now perhaps two. During our visit there were none. Israeli tourist Ronit Piso said: "I can understand why tourists don't come here to Israel, because it is a dangerous place." A mile away, the lack of tourists isn't the issue, lack of industry, jobs is. A once thriving area, now abandoned factories abound. In the streets and markets disillusionment, however, is plentiful and optimism is in short supply. Living in povertyTo Tiberius on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus preached, and Christians believe, walked on water. But no miracles at the unemployment office. Israelis queue for benefits and programs they never thought they'd need. Danny, one of the new unemployed, said: "I am not the only one - there are many like me. If we work it is for the minimum wage, and for many hours. Today it's very difficult to find work." With unemployment at more that 10 percent, sometimes it's difficult to find food. Shimon Bitton runs a soup kitchen for the hungry. His clientele is growing. "There is a drastic change because before there wasn't unemployment like there is today, and tax was lower," said Bitton A recent report said 1.2 million Israelis - a fifth of the population - now live in poverty. But look at the TV ads, the slogans, speeches, and the battered economy barely figures in this campaign. Security overshadows all, even the economic pain. Many say the two issues are, largely, one. The struggling economy the victim of political turmoil and insecurity. But if that's true, some voters don't see it. The decline has been rapid and it has been steep. On our journey north, no sadder illustration of the plight of some, than at Bet She-'an market. As the stallholders go home, the poor and hungry salvage what others have cast away.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
