Nowadays, many Israelis live below the poverty line. Indeed, reports show that a great deal of the population is impoverished. War has shattered the economy and many sectors have suffered its consequences. In addition, austerity measures in recent years have slashed welfare payments in a bid to kick-start Israel's sluggish economy.The occupation of Palestinian territories costs a lot of money to the Israeli government who are therefore spending much less on social programs. The money spent on defense, settlement and barrier construction is obviously taken away from welfare payments which have been reduced by one third. Today one family out of five suffers poverty in Israel.