250,000 Protest In Israel, Demonstrations Into Second Week

By: EW News Desk Team   Date: 8 August 2011

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EW News Desk Team

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08 August 2011

Massive demonstrations across Israel against the high cost of living point to a revival in the fortunes of the country's long-dormant left-wing movement, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to focus on economic policy at a time when he enjoys broad support for his handling of policy toward the Palestinians.

The popular protest movement, which crosses the traditional Israeli political lines of left and right, began with a Facebook call to pitch tents along a stylish Tel Aviv boulevard. A tent city sprang up, and smaller ones have mushroomed in parks all over Israel, according to the New York Times. 

The young organizers, who struck a chord with a society that has long been quiescent on domestic issues, have expressed surprise at the number of Israelis who have joined their struggle.

An estimated 250,000 turned out on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, and 30,000 in Jerusalem, according to the police. Several thousand held smaller demonstrations in other cities, adding up to one of the largest protests in recent Israeli history. Israeli television put the total at more than 300,000. Popular singers performed at the rallies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as the crowds raised chants paraphrasing demonstrators around the Arab world, saying, “The people demand social justice.”

“We know that we cannot achieve everything,” Itzik Shmuly, the chairman of the National Union of Students, acknowledged from the podium in Tel Aviv. “But living here has become impossible, and we will not accept it.”

The wave of protests has been largely driven by Israel’s working middle classes, who are afflicted by rising costs of basics like housing, food and gasoline, and by high taxation. At the same time, the country’s social services have been shrinking and there is a growing gap between the rich and poor.

The social awakening has come in the middle of what had so far been a quiet domestic term for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While his coalition government appears to be stable for now, the sweeping protests have undermined his popularity.

Under pressure, Mr. Netanyahu announced series of measures late last month meant to alleviate the housing shortage. The organizers dismissed them as insufficient. Mr. Netanyahu said he would set up a committee of senior officials and experts to dialog with the protest leaders.

The organizers have been careful to avoid party politics in order to preserve the broad appeal of the movement.

“We are not asking to change the prime minister,” Stav Shafir, one of the founders of the Tel Aviv tent city, said on Israeli television on Saturday. “We are asking to change the system.”

Watch the news report by Al Jazeera English:


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