Vos iz Neias : Israeli Election Muddied by Pudding
Excerpts:
“I now believe we have a chance to exile our failed leaders. We have a moment to change the direction Israel goes,” said Naor Narkis, a 25-year-old former intelligence officer who became an unlikely overnight national celebrity when he posted a photo on Facebook showing a chocolate pudding in Berlin selling for a third of the price of a similar “Milky” dessert in Israel…….
A government survey in June found that 4 in 10 Israelis are not able to make ends meet and 47 percent are not satisfied with their economic situation. … Since becoming a star over the “Milky” pudding, Narkis has argued that unless Israel becomes more affordable, young Israelis “will just leave”. (Prices are a huge issue because Israeli )prices are higher and wages are lower than in the United States and Western Europe. After military service, he asked himself, “‘What does this country have to offer me?’ The answer was not a lot. Even if you work here in a full time job you are not able to buy an apartment,” he told Reuters.
“Israel is a country for very rich Jews and the rest can go,” he said. “The biggest threat to Israel is that young people won’t want to live here.”
Polls show voters shifting to a new centrist party led by Moshe Kahlon, one of the few politicians with a reputation as a successful economic reformer. As communications minister two years ago he was behind a plan to allow new mobile phone operators into the market, which helped bring down prices.