Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for large budget cuts to jump-start the struggling Israeli economy. The plan calls for billions of shekels in cuts, which would force residents to pay more for public transport, utilities, and pension contributions, while receiving smaller welfare payments. The austerity plan calls for wage reductions among 500,000 public sector workers and layoffs for another 10,000. In addition, taxes will be cut for some workers.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.