At the end of the year in which Minister of Finance Yair Lapid was the hope and disappointment of many voters, a poll by Molad - The Center for Renewal of Israeli Democracy indicates that 2013 did not end as he had planned. The chairman of Yesh Atid knew fully well why he targeted his election campaign to the middle class: 70% of the public calls itself middle class, but this has turned out to be a two-edged sword.
For almost a year, Lapid has claimed that he entered the Ministry of Finance to work for the middle class, but he has failed to persuade the public. The Molad poll found that 67% of the public believes that the 2013-14 state budget mainly serves the rich. Two-thirds of the respondents said that the budget was unfair, it benefits the rich and harms most Israelis who are struggling to pay their bills and support their families. Only 23% of respondents said that the budget was "a responsible budget".
Not only does a majority of the public believe that Lapid has not kept his promises, more than half do not believe that he represents them. 64% of respondents believe that the middle class has too little political influence, even though the Ministry of Finance is headed by a politician who defined himself as "a finance minister of the middle class."
In response to a question, which group influenced government decisions, 64% of respondents said tycoons and corporations had too much political influence, 39% cited settlers, 47% cited haredim (ultra-orthodox), and 41% cited the Right wing.
A majority of respondents across the political spectrum said that settlers were "tycoons beyond the Green Line." The poll found that settlers are still seen as a group with clearly different interests from the general Israeli public. Most Israelis believe that the settlers' security, economic, and diplomatic interests were different from their own, and they believe that the settlers receive too much money from the budget compared with the rest of the population. A majority of respondents oppose the financial benefits given to settlers for housing, education, and the general allocation of resources.
Although 46% of the respondents believe that the settlers are a security asset compared with 39% who believe that they are a security burden, 52% of the respondents agreed with the statement, "The settlements enjoy a special relationship and receive too much government money at the expense of investment within the Green Line." Only 31% of respondents agreed with the statement, "The settlements are the national priority, and the government is right to invest in the settlers' standard of living."
2 states for 2 people
The poll found a clear willingness to pay the price for leaving the territories in exchange for a peace agreement. In response to the question, "If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen) were to reach a deal, and Netanyahu were to submit it to a referendum, would you vote 'Yes' or 'No'?" 50% of respondents said they would vote 'Yes' and 41%, that they would vote 'No', and 9% were undecided. 52% of respondents favor evacuating settlements, 37% opposed evacuations, and 12% declined to respond.
Molad is an apolitical organization that provides policy and strategic material for the Israeli center-left. It is mainly financed by private US foundations, such as the Tauber Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Moriah Fund. The telephone and Internet poll included 1,200 respondents.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 1, 2014
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