Ehud Barak in a speech at the Bialik school in Ramat Gan.

The State of Israel is a Jewish state, the homeland of all Jews wherever they are. In fulfilling the Zionist dream, we consider ourselves the heirs and followers of our rich Jewish and Hebrew culture. Our entire being and identity arise from the Jewish heritage. A single path leads from the roots of our religious and cultural heritage to the future of the State of Israel.

We are now engaged in the shaping of Israel as a Zionist, Jewish democratic state, based on a merging and a balance between values of Jewish culture and liberal-democratic values; a state that expresses our commitment to humanistic values and values of social justice rooted in the Jewish Heritage.

The best solution to the relationship between religion and state must be formed by a discourse among all streams of thought, leading to an agreement based on freedom of religion and individual rights.

Should the citizens of Israel not consider Judaism to be their common heritage and not work to preserve it, Israel will cease to be a Jewish State. Thus a heavy responsibility falls upon the educational system. It must provide the young generation with a knowledge of Judaism, so that they may absorb its values. The study of Judaism confers on every Jew a recognition of the depth of Jewish culture throughout history and enables him to internalize those aspects of this broad complex that are significant to his life.

The preservation and cultivation of our Jewish identity will help us to maintain our connection with the Diaspora.

We are one people and we must preserve our unity and distinctiveness. We will act to reduce hostility and increase discourse among various groups in order to find appropriate solutions to the Law of Conversion, so as to allow all Jewish denominations to live side by side in respect and mutual understanding.

Ehud Barak, from a speech to the "Mashov " group.

Economy and Society

Economic growth, full employment, creating new business opportunities and attracting international investments cannot be accomplished in an atmosphere of political and security instability. I believe that without peace in our region, Israel might miss the opportunity to fulfill its economic potential.

In the Solidarity State, government intervention is justified only in the areas where a market economy cannot bring about the targeted social and economic results. These include security, education and health, a fair distribution of income and closing of gaps, and creating physical infrastructures. In the long run, investment in these areas encourages economic growth and contributes to equality of opportunity. The highest return comes from investment in education, because of its contribution to the development of human resources. Education is also an efficient means for bridging the gaps between various sectors of the population, and makes for maximum utilization of human potential. Investment in health makes for economic growth, as it increases the working ability and efficiency of the work force. Continuous investment in infrastructure (transportation, communications, etc.) is critical to the efficacy of the productive business sector. A good transportation base brings the peripheral areas closer to the center and eases the difficulties that residents of the outlying areas have to cope with. It also enables more people from outside the cities to work in the center, and encourages the establishment of industry on the periphery.

According to the Barak plan, national resources will be utilized solely according to criteria based on the needs of the people and the objectives of the state, rather than according to sectoral formulas and submission to political pressures.

We will work for the expansion of high-tech and other advanced industries by providing financial support for research and development, and by stepping up the training of engineers and software personnel. We will also encourage industrialists to create infrastructures in international markets through the acquisition of foreign enterprises and marketing systems.

We strive to establish a just society with mutual responsibility and social sensitivity. A free market and wise government investments will enable many people to break out of the cycle of poverty.

The order of budgetary priorities will be changed so as to allocate a major portion for education, health and infrastructure, at the expense of allocations to the political sectors. Government involvement should be concentrated in these areas, enabling the free market to work effectively in the other sectors. By implementing this policy we will bring about a decrease in the budget as a percentage of the national product, without damaging the quality of services to the public and without widening the social gap.

Reduction of government expenditure will allow a reduction in the burden of taxes on the private and business sectors, and will lead to gradual but constant growth over a long period. This growth will bring about the contraction of the budget deficit and a real increase in government spending (even though this will decrease in proportion to the total national product). Maintaining the budgetary framework will lead to stability, will enable a decrease in interest rates, and by means of liberalization of foreign currency transactions will lead to the encouragement of exports and the reduction of imports.

Encouragement of the money market is an important building block in the Barak platform. Pension plans will be opened to the money market. On the one hand, the rights of the insured will be protected by tax benefits and the assurance of a partial return, and on the other hand pension plans will be given incentives to invest in the money market. Taxation would be used to encourage long-term savings. Such savings are necessary to the economy as a means of lowering the cost of mortgages and encouraging real investment

We need to reform the tax structure by lowering tax rates and effecting a wider tax base. No one argues the fact that lowering the tax rate creates an incentive for work and growth. Barak’s platform strives to reduce the burden of taxation and levies on the middle classes. It is this sector which forms the backbone of the work force in industry, in commerce, in services, and in the public sector.

Public housing is a useful tool for reducing the scope of poverty in Israel. There are currently more than 100,000 families living in government-owned rental housing today. These tenants are faced with many obstacles in their effort to secure ongoing tenancy rights for their heirs. According to Barak’s program, people residing at least five years in such public housing and owning no other dwelling would be given the right to purchase the apartments in which they live at a subsidized price, and this privilege will be accorded to their direct heirs as well. Shifting ownership of public housing to its current inhabitants will obligate us to come up with solutions for new tenants with the same entitlements.

The Barak program proposes a series of amendments to the law, in order to ease the burden of mortgage payments for young families purchasing housing, thus enabling every citizen to purchase housing on a long-term mortgage.

The real standard of living is determined not only by income level but also by purchasing power and the amount of benefit gained from goods purchased. Thus, reducing prices of products and services and upgrading quality are top priorities no less than increasing nominal income. Barak’s plan proposes developing and streamlining government and public apparatuses that provide consumer information and better quality control. In addition, competition must be encouraged among producers, sellers, and suppliers for the benefit of consumers.

Mutual responsibility and social sensitivity will enable many people to extricate themselves from the cycle of poverty.

WE WILL PROTECT CHILDREN GROWING UP IN POVERTY AND ALLEVIATE THEIR CONDITION. WE WILL INCREASE SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT, PROVIDE VOCATIONAL TRAINING, AND ENCOURAGE ENTERPRISES WHICH CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN CENTERS OF UNEMPLOYMENT.

share of the revenue derived from the acquisition of the company, either directly or as shares in the privatized company.

Investment in transportation infrastructure will lessen the distance between the center of the country and the Negev and Galilee, opening new employment, cultural and educational possibilities to the inhabitants of those areas, and will encourage employers to operate in such outlying regions, bringing in new businesses and industries.

Poverty and unemployment are two of the most painful issues that Israeli society has to cope with. The social gaps are widening. More children are growing up to a reality of poverty and deprivation. More children are faced with the sad reality of parents who cannot support the family. Barak’s plan stresses the fight against poverty and unemployment. The best guarantee for reducing poverty and unemployment lies in econogrowth and the creation of new jobs. Barak’s plan proposes to promote these aims by both economic and political means. But even rapid growth will not prevent the closing of obsolete industries and the laying off of thousands of employees after years of productive labor. These workers will then enter a labor market in which they stand no chance. Barak’s plan offers government assistance and guidance in retraining and finding alternative employment. The government will cooperate with the private sector, with workers organizations, with local authorities, and with voluntary groups in order to find work for the unemployed. The following steps will be taken in order to achieve this goal:

• Government involvement with the private sector and the voluntary non-profit organizations in order to create new jobs.

• Expanding employment opportunities by establishing a broad framework of vocational training, consisting of two components: general training for the unemployed and subsidized retraining in the workplace.

• Encouraging small business entrepreneurship, with special help for women and new immigrants in opening their own businesses.

• Incentives for employers to allocate jobs for the specific groups prone to unemployment - youths, women, and new immigrants.
• Full exemption from income tax and social security payments for workers earning the minimum wage.
• Encouraging part-time employment, especially for one-parent families.
• Making job hunting through the government employment agency more efficient.
• Updating the policy of unemployment payments, with consideration given to total family income and the ability of both parents to go out to work.
• Support for children of families living below the poverty line and ensuring their ability to reap the benefit of various health and education services.

"I see the burning pain, the shame, of parents who cannot pay for their children’s participation in school trips, the pain and hurt of the young fighters of the Golani Brigade who have left an unemployed father at home, and the depth of their anxiety over the divisiveness of our people and the preference given to pressure groups."

Ehud Barak, at a Labor Party meeting in Ofakim

Education is the starting point for the revival of the entire society. Barak’s platform places education at the top of our national priorities, and holds investment in the human infrastructure to be the strongest base for social and economic growth. In the long run education is no less important than security. It is the driving force in the closing of social gaps, and is a tool for establishing a set of basic values such as commitment to democracy and quality of life.

Barak’s plan promises free compulsory education for pre-kindergartners, a long school day for all pupils, an effort to halt dropping out, and an increase in the number of diploma-holders, as well as expansion of facilities for higher education and making free higher education available to all. It is our aim to develop an educational system in which schools, principals and teachers would be given a large measure of autonomy, thus allowing and encouraging creativity, initiative, and critical thought. We want to see a modern educational system, open and attentive to students and parents. This system would be able to cope with changes in teaching methods, modern technologies, and novel learning environments.

Barak’s plan is committed to developing education at all levels, from pre-kindergarten to university. An effort will be made to realize these goals:

• Reducing social gaps by offering incentives to schools in national priority areas and rehabilitation and welfare neighborhoods, and making differential allocations of the education budget to ensure its full use for its intended beneficiaries - the pupil and the school.
• Providing government-financed pre-kindergarten education and equalizing conditions for this age group in all sectors.
• Effecting a long school day, which will help reduce social gaps and assist parents of young children who wish to join the work force.
• Improving the quality of education through incentives to teachers willing to work in development towns and difficult neighborhoods.
• Combating school drop-outs and developing second opportunity courses.
• Assistance for high school students to encourage them to complete the course and receive a graduation certificate recognized by the institutions of higher education.
• Expanding the scope of higher education to encompass all who wish to acquire it. Revising the system so that all first degree graduates interested and qualified would be enabled to continue their studies for second and third degrees.
• Awarding grants and incentives to encourage young people to remain in Israel for their studies after completion of their military service.
• Development of a system of technological education that will shape a new generation of scientists, researchers, and teachers and will propel Israel into the top echelons of research and industry, science and technology.

Education will be our top priority. We view it as a major tool for closing gaps and ensuring economic prosperity and social well-being. We will institute free compulsory education for pre-kindergartners and a long school day for all children. We will combat dropping out of school and we will increase the number of successful graduates. We will enable all who desire higher education to attain it, and we will develop advanced science education that will put Israel at the forefront of the technological world of tomorrow.

"There is nothing the adult generation is so willing to make sacrifices for as the future of its youth."

Ehud Barak, on a visit to the Denmark school, Katamon, Jerusalem

We will provide every citizen, regardless of age or income level, with proper health services. We will enable every citizen to reach old age in dignity, without becoming a burden to others.

Equality and social sensitivity are the building blocks of Barak’s plan.

We believe that that the "solidarity state" is obligated to provide all its citizens with advanced medical services, regardless of age or income, with special emphasis on senior citizens, who are entitled to care and support as of right.

• Changing the Ministry of Health from a body providing direct medical services to one that plans policy, directs, supervises, and ensures high standards throughout the system, prevents waste and duplication, and maintains overall control. The Ministry’s policy will give preference to primary care and preventive medicine over hospitalization. Special efforts will be made to develop preventive medicine for women.
• Coordination of hospital and ambulatory services, as well as effecting continuity of treatment and encouraging the practise of family medicine. This will lead to overall coordination of responsibility for patient care, whether in or outside of the hospitals and will save the cost of repeated and unnecessary tests by both hospitals and outpatient services.
• Reorganizing nursing care and medical insurance. Creating additional facilities for hospitalized nursing care will considerably reduce the burden on the general hospitals, which now provide nursing care to elderly patients at high cost. We are committed to providing all citizens with the potential for a dignified old age in which they will not be a burden to others.

"I look at my parents, whom I love dearly, and I think to myself that every person in Israel must be assured that in his old age he will be able to live in dignity."

Ehud Barak, at a meeting with senior citizens

From the inception of Zionism, immigrto Israel (Aliya) has contributed to the building and strengthening of the state.

Barak’s platform sees the continuation of Aliya as the key to Israel’s future growth and strength. Our goal is to encourage immigration to Israel and to ensure the immigrants of positions in the highest ranks of Israeli society.

The successful absorption of hundreds of thousands of immigrants is a tremendous social and economic achievement. We must, however, recognize that immigration has uprooted the immigrants from their familiar places and brought about the loss of their cultural roots. Absorption problems damage their self-image and self-respect and cause their alienation from the society around them. These emotional crises leave deep scars, and the lack of equal opportunities only deepens their feelings of deprivation and discrimination, creating a breach between many of the newcomers and the institutions dealing with the complex work of absorption - and the Labor Party first and foremost. We must close this breach.

The pardon I requested from groups of Sephardi background is a first step in this direction. I call upon the Israeli public to recognize the pain and difficulty of absorption experienced by immigrants from the Arab countries, and to endeavor to narrow the economic and social gaps originating in the first painful years of absorption.

We must learn from past experience and open a sincere discourse with the various groups of immigrants on the nature of Israeli society. We must formulate a new absorption policy which will enable both Russian and Ethiopian immigrants, who are still coping with problems of adjustment to Israeli society, to make a new home here without losing their identity and dignity.

• We will help immigrants to preserve their culture, language and traditions for their sake and ours, for we all enjoy the richness brought to us by this immigration.
• We will fight against discrimination and denigration of immigrants. We will fight for tolerance and cultural acceptance without patronization or arrogance.
• We will seek suitable housing for the immigrants.
• We will make every endeavor to find suitable employment for immigrants, including retraining and vocational education.
• We will work for the absorption of immigrant children into the educational system and we will strive to prevent their dropping out of school.
• We will make an effort to involve new immigrants in the leadership of the party and the country.
• Within the framework of an overall solution we will emphasize the importance of special help for Second World War veterans, aged immigrants, and mothers of one-parent families.

Ehud Barak, at a meeting with Russian immigrants in Nazareth

The Barak platform is committed to leading the struggle for the advancement of women’s status in Israeli society, based on two principles:

The first calls for equal rights and opportunities in accordance with the democratic character of Israel; the second has a social aspect - the recognition of women’s potential as an untapped resource. Non-exploitation of this resource is detrimental to society as a whole and limits its ability to cope with economic and social challenges facing it.

Women are a strong and well-educated group which must be brought into the highest echelons of social, economic and political action. Barak’s program aims to help women achieve this goal, enabling them to attain their rightful social, economic and political status. A first step in this direction was the approval by the party convention of a 25% representation for women in the next Knesset, and up to 40% in 2010.

In order to promote the status of women we will put forward the ‘Opportunity 2000’ program, whose principles are as follows:

Ehud Barak, from a speech at the Knesset on International Women’s Day

The Jewish national historic experience obliges us to ensure the right of minorities to an honorable way of life. We must enable them to preserve their cultural and religious distinctiveness and attain true equality, in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence.

The Arabs of Israel are loyal citizens and full partners in Israel’s growth and prosperity. It is Israel’s obligation to defend their rights and grant them resources equal to those of its Jewish citizens. The mutual lives of Jews and Arabs will be greatly improved when peace is established in our region, for peace will enable Israel to hold its place in the Middle East and develop good neighborly relations with all the peoples of the region. I am committed to the peace process.

The Barak program holds one of its central goals to be the end of

discrimination against minority groups.

In its Declaration of Independence Israel undertook to confer equal rights on all citizens, without regard to religion, race, nationality, or gender. We will work for the realization of this equality and for the abolishment of all forms of deprivation.

Even in anera of peace, we cannot forego a strong army. Israel has an obligation to her soldiers, who bear the brunt of safeguarding her security and even imperiling their lives for it.

An unjust distribution of the civic and military burden increases social tensions and sharpens inequality among citizens. The fact that an increasing number of ultra-orthodox students is exempted from army service and requires financial support, means that this group is supported by the state but makes no significant contribution to its economy or security.

According to Barak’s plan the army would award, in consultation with rabbinical authorities, a small number of exemptions to gifted students for the continuation of their Jewish studies, as well as to a small number of such students for the study of general subjects. All others would be drafted for military or civic service. All draftees. both military and civilian, would be educated in civic responsibility and democratic values, the apparatus of government, the basics of the rule of law, civil rights and obligations. This program would necessitate the establishment of a special authority for civic service, which would compile data on draft-age youth, plan and supervise the service, and undertake responsibility for coordinating with the Ministries of Education, Health, Welfare, and the police, and serve as the link with various economic organizations.

The advantages of this program are numerous:

• It provides the ability to tie orthodox youth into military and civic service which contributes to the country, its society, and the community in which they live. This service will yield social benefits in the short run and economic benefits in the long run.
• It promotes equality in the division of social and civic obligations among the secular, religious, and ultra-orthodox population.
• It will decrease social tensions sharpened by the present inequality.
• It will enable those doing civic service to join the work force and thereby raise their standard of living and decrease their dependence on welfare and the national budget.
• The introduction of thousands of young people into the economy at its weakest point will contribute to the quality of life and public service in Israel.

Ehud Barak, at a meeting with young people about to be drafted, at Ammunition Hill, Jerusalem

Hundreds of people are killed every year, and thousands are left disabled as a result of traffic accidents.

Traffic accidents are one of the major and most shocking causes of death in Israel. In addition to the cost in human life, we pay a high price in loss of work-days, added health costs, and disability payments. Barak’s plan calls for an uncompromising war against traffic accidents.

• We will improve the road infrastructure.
• We will operate an accessible, efficient, cheap transport system in order to reduce congestion on the roads.
• We will raise the professional level and improve the working conditions of bus and truck drivers by means of employer-financed training and by reducing their permitted work hours. We will hold transport companies responsible for their share of traffic accidents.
• We will introduce more flexible school and work schedules, so as to cut down the volume of traffic during rush hours.
• We will increase support for law enforcement agencies.

• We will impose greater penalties for recurring violations and levy very heavy fines on traffic violators.

We will combat traffic accidents with all the death and suffering they cause. We all bear responsibility for preventing this disregard for human life that has reached epidemic proportions.

"When I see the suffering of families whose loved ones were victims of traffic accidents, orphans and widows, I can empathize with them and feel obligated to fight this plague by every means at my disposal".

Ehud Barak, from a speech in the Knesset

Preservation of the environment is a first-rate human and national need. We have a wonderful land with unique natural characteristics. In our first fifty years of statehood we built thriving cities and flourishing agriculture, but we put off dealing with the environment. These issues can no longer wait. Rivers are polluted, creating a danger to the public. We must clean them up. Our aquifers are exploited far beyond their capacity. We must safeguard them. The roads are congested and clogged. We must develop efficient transport alternatives.

Barak’s program is committed to finding workable solutions to these problems, solutions based on concern not only for the present but also for our future and that of our children and grandchildren.

• The crisis of solid waste disposal must be dealt with. Simply finding alternative dumping sites will not suffice. We must control the disposal of waste matter, encourage recycling and reuse, and prohibit dumping at random sites.
• We will work for a planned transportation infrastructure, providing ready access to the entire population. This will obviate the danger to public health from high levels of air pollution. We will preserve our green spaces and limit building permits in areas to be designated as vital to the quality of the environment.
• We will protect the beaches from over-development and assure the public of free access to the shores of the Mediterranean, the Dead Sea, the Kinneret, and the Gulf of Eilat.
• We will work for the rehabilitation of the river basins and change them from sewage reservoirs into green lungs for entertainment, recreation, and relaxation.
• We will increase support for the Nature Preservation Authority and impose stiff penalties for the contamination of nature and the environment.
• We will work to protect the health and safety of the work force against environmental hazards in the work place.
• Environmental problems do not recognize political borders. We undertake to work in cooperation with our neighbors in the Middle East in planning and implementing projects to safeguard the water table and other water sources, and to forge ahead in the treatment of solid and toxic waste.

We will protect the natural environment, which shapes the quality of our life, both present and future.

Ehud Barak, at a meeting with environmental activists

We will work to give the citizens of Israel maximum security, based on a strong army and true peace with our neighbors. We will preserve an eternally unified Jerusalem. We will never agreeto return to the l967 borders.

We will strengthen our country’s democratic system. We will decentralize government institutions and keep the people informed and able to exert influence on government policy.

We will see to law enforcement and ensure its equal application to all citizens. We will allocate more funding for the war against crime. We will reinforce the police force and upgrade its personnel and improve the training of its recruits.

We will work for the consolidation of Israel as a Jewish, democratic and Zionist state, based on values of justice, freedom, and the love of mankind.

We will take action to establish a unified and just society, characterized by mutual responsibility and social sensitivity. A free market and wise government investment in human and physical infrastructures in education, health and transportation will hasten growth and create conditions for many to break out of the cycle of poverty and deprivation.

Education will be our top priority. We view it as the major tool for closing gaps and ensuring economic prosperity and social welfare. We will guarantee the highest level of education for all of Israel’s children. We will make higher education available to all who want it, and we will develop advanced scientific education that will place Israel at the technological forefront of tomorrow’s world.

We will assure suitable health care for all, regardless of age or economic status. We will enable every citizen to reach a dignified old age.

Barak’s program views continued Aliya (immigration to Israel) as a key to Israel’s growth and future strength. It gives top priority to encouraging immigration and making sure the immigrants are given a share of the positions of power and influence in Israeli society.

We will take action to promote equal rights for women. We will implement the "Opportunity 2000" plan to ensure appropriate political, economic, and social representation for women.

In its Declaration of Independence Israel committed itself to equal rights for all citizens, regardless of religion, race, nationality, or gender. We will try to realize this equality, close gaps, and do away with all forms of discrimination.

The drafting of the orthodox is a must. Their exemption from military service, while they benefit from considerable financial support from the state, is unjust and must be changed. We will take action for the equal distribution of the burden among all citizens. "One nation, one draft".

We will fight against traffic accidents, with all the death and suffering they cause. The responsibility falls upon all of us to help prevent the disregard for life that has become all too common in our society.

We will preserve the quality of our natural environment, which shapes the quality of our lives, present and future. We will take action to solve the waste crisis, protect air and water quality, and keep our country beautiful.