The most potent indication that the conclusions of the Elalouf Committee to Reduce Poverty in Israel will fall apart and ultimately get buried can be seen in the tepid, premeditated response of Finance Minister Yair Lapid to the report’s release on June 23. The Yesh Atid Party chairman is fully capable of using his rhetorical skills when he's trying to convince his listeners that some issue or other is near and dear to his heart and that he plans to fight for it. Nevertheless, his response to the report was cautious and calculated — even though it was commissioned by Welfare Minister Meir Cohen from Lapid’s own party.
Yesh Atid held a faction meeting shortly after committee Chairman Eli Elalouf submitted the report to Cohen at a well-publicized event. During the meeting, Lapid announced: “We will study the recommendations of the Elalouf Committee in depth with the goal of introducing some of its recommendations into the 2015 budget. We will look into ways of translating the report into a long-term plan over the coming decade, to reduce gaps in Israeli society.”
