The organization Latet, which provides assistance to needy populations in Israel, released on Monday its annual alternative poverty report, which paints 2012 as “a bad year” for Israel. According to the data, which was presented at a conference in Rishon Letzion on Monday morning, half of the children of needy families, who are still minors, are forced to work today, a sharp increase compared to 2011 when this number only came up to 19 percent.

More families are going without food and more children are forced to go begging, according to a report from the Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid organization.  Among those struggling to feed themselves, 27% of parents reported that they and their children had sometimes gone for a whole day without food, an increase from 21% in 2011. Nearly all the respondents, 95%, reported that they were required to give up on some basic items because of their financial situation and 63% said they were unable to buy drugs they need to maintain their health.

Latet volunteers (Photo: Latet)

The acute problems among struggling families have a significant political influence. Among the general public who participated in the surveys that contributed to the report, 69% said that poverty is the most urgent problem facing the state, more important even than security. When it comes to choosing a party to vote for in the coming election, 56% said that policies on poverty will have a significant influence on their choice, and 42% cited the neo-liberal government as being most responsible for the current poverty situation.