Barkat touts economic recovery plan for J'lem

Municipal opposition leader seeks to stem the exodus of young, educated Israelis from the capital.

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
nir barkat great 224 88 (photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimksi [file])
nir barkat great 224 88
(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimksi [file])
Less than two months before the Jerusalem mayoral race, municipal opposition leader Nir Barkat has launched a multi-faceted economic recovery plan for the city, seeking to stem the exodus of young, educated Israelis from the capital, and to attract entrepreneurs and businesses. "There is a direct connection between the continuing migration of young, educated Israelis from the city and the city's economic status," Barkat said late Monday at his home, where the economic proposal was unveiled. The plan includes the creation of 100,000 jobs over the next decade and improvement in city services and administration to encourage the private sector. "Businesses are not cows that need to be milked for the city coffers but an engine for economic growth," Barkat told a packed audience of 200, including dozens of top business leaders, who squeezed into his spacious living room. The self-made hi-tech millionaire, who entered city politics six years ago, said it was essential to increase job opportunities for educated young people in technology, medical research, biotechnology, and the sciences to ensure that they stayed in the capital. Some 300,000 Jews have left the city over the past 20 years, primarily in search of affordable housing and jobs. Nearly half of those leaving the capital were between the ages of 25 and 34. Barkat noted the catch-22 that ensues when educated 20- and 30-somethings and members of the middle class leave - the municipality collects less property tax, leading to reduced spending on education, culture and sanitation, and thus to continued migration. He added that the more than 60 percent of university students in the capital had voiced interest in remaining if they could. Barkat said the average family in Jerusalem earned close to NIS 10,000 a month compared to about NIS 17,000 in Tel Aviv and Haifa. He said Jerusalem could attract many more overseas pilgrims, suggesting that as many as 10 million tourists could be visiting each year within a decade - more than three times the current numbers. He said a "cooperative of cities" in the greater Jerusalem area, including the West Bank settlements of Ma'aleh Adumim, Efrat, the Gush Etzion region and Betar Illit, and the Jerusalem suburb of Mevaseret Zion should be established by agreement to strengthen the capital and to promote jobs and joint services for all parties. Barkat said young couples could find cheaper housing in new communities to be built on the periphery of the city, which would also be the site of hotels servicing the mass influx of tourists he envisions. Last month, Barkat unveiled his educational plan for the city, pledging to strengthen the poorly-funded educational system and to put education at the forefront of his priorities if elected mayor on November 11.