More large demos held in Israel

Press TV, Saturday, August 13, 2011, 11:59PM GMT

A large demonstration calling for social justice was held in the southern Israeli city of Be-er Al-Saba'a (the usurped Palestinian city called Beer Sheva by Israelis) on August 13, 2011. Tens of thousands of people have poured into the streets of several Israeli cities and towns to protest against the rising price of housing and other social inequalities.

More than 30,000 people staged a march in the northern city of Haifa on Saturday, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on its website.

“We want there to be a welfare state here, and a welfare state is not just a slogan,” said Yossi Baruch, the representative for the largest tent city in Haifa.

“It means free education for every boy and girl, from the moment their mother finishes her maternity leave until they finish their doctorate. A welfare state is a place where its citizens receive fair wages,” he added.

In Be'er Sheva in southern Israel, over 20,000 demonstrators poured into the streets near the tent city.

About 15,000 people attended a demonstration in Afula, and smaller protests were held in Eilat, Rosh Pina, Nahariya, Dimona, Modi'in, Petah Tikva, Ramat Hasharon, Hod Hasharon, Netanya, Beit She'an and other towns across Israel.

Over the past month, Israelis have staged mass demonstrations against the government's poor handling of the economy, which has given rise to social inequalities.

More than 300,000 anti-government demonstrators turned out in Tel Aviv on August 6 in what has been described as the largest demonstration ever held to protest against the socioeconomic situation in Israel.

The protesters have demanded a new taxation system of lower indirect taxes and higher direct taxes, free education and childcare, and more investment in housing and public transport.

In addition, they have called for the resignation of hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An opinion poll published by Israel's Channel 10 television late on Tuesday showed that an overwhelming 88 percent of the respondents supported the protest movement.

MRS/HGL

Fresh 'social justice' protests in Israel

Published yesterday 13/08/2011, 21:28

[AFP/Menahem Kahana]

Be-er Al-Saba'a, Occupied Palestine (AFP) --

Tens of thousands gathered for fresh demonstrations Saturday outside Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, after leaders of a hugely popular social movement called for rallies across Israel to protest high prices and living conditions.

At 9:00 pm local time, some 50,000 people were mobilized throughout the country, police said.

Protest leaders said they were hoping for a turnout larger than last Saturday's, when more than 300,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv and other cities calling for "social justice" and a "welfare state."

In Be-er Al-Saba'a (changed by Israelis to Beersheva), the center of the latest protests, organizers were hoping to attract tens of thousands of participants from the Negev region.

In Haifa, the capital of the north, about 25,000 demonstrators gathered, police said, without giving a breakdown of the number of protesters in every city or town.

There were 5,000 in Afula, in Galilee, also in the north, 2,000 in Modiin in central Israel, and 1,500 in Eilat, in the extreme south.

At Beersheva's main square, a huge banner read: "The Negev awakens."

Demonstrators carried banners and placards that read: "the south is angry," and "toward a welfare state -- now."

Crowds chanted, "the people demand social justice," the slogan of the protests since they began a month ago with the appearance of the first protest tent along Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv's most upscale district.

The goal of the latest protests, organizers said, was to expand the geographic and demographic scope of the movement, as so far the middle class has been the driving force behind social justice rallies.

Israel has been gripped since mid-July by the rapidly growing protest movement demanding cheaper housing, education and health care.

Last Saturday's protests called for for "social justice" and a "welfare state."

An opinion poll released by Channel 10 television Tuesday showed that 88 percent of respondents said they supported the movement, with 53 percent saying they are willing take part in protests.

Under pressure from the protests, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was willing to alter his approach to the free-market economy and meet the demands of the demonstrators. He created a commission to propose reforms and present recommendations to the government within a month.

Palestinians in no hurry to join housing protests

Published yesterday (updated) 13/08/2011 21:37

BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) --

Palestinian citizens of Israel "will not put their eggs in the same basket" with demonstrations sweeping Israel, a senior trade union official said Saturday.

Muhammad Zeidan said the Arab community in Israel's struggle was something quite different than the predominantly Jewish-Israeli movement calling for social equality and affordable rent.

Israel has been gripped since mid-July by a rapidly growing protest movement demanding cheaper housing, education and health care. Last Saturday, more than 300,000 people demonstrated across the country.

The leaders of the social protest movement have called for more rallies this weekend, but Zeidan says most Palestinians are unlikely to join.

The protests are widely supported in Israel but this is partly because they have all but avoided addressing divisive issues like racial discrimination and the occupation of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza.

“We do not want to ride the wave of the Jews’ protests because we have our own struggles which started in 1976, Land Day, when six Arab citizens were killed and hundreds were injured,” he explained.

"Since then we haven’t missed a beat," said Zeidan, during a visit to Ma'an in Bethlehem.

The labor leader said the Palestinian community in Israel had reacted "unlimitedly" to the revolutions sweeping the Arab world, insisting that Israeli media outlets deliberately played down the Arabs' struggle.

He says it is this movement which has a much deeper meaning than the demonstrations against high real estate prices that have been criticized for downplaying the occupation.

Still, Zeidan said the housing demonstrations, which began in July, took him by surprise.

While some segments of the protest movement have encouraged Palestinians to participate, Zeidan said their concerns were not the priority.

For instance when Netanyahu, under pressure from the protests, appointed a committee of 17 dignitaries, the list did not include a single Arab citizen. The Arabs in Israel are marginalized, he said.

Mass protests against cost of living go nationwide

By FRANCE 24 (video)

Date created : 13/08/2011

News Wires (text)

AP -

In the largest protest, more than 20,000 people took to the streets of Haifa in northern Israel, according to police estimates. Another major demonstration was taking place in Beersheba in southern Israel.

For the first time, there were also protests in a number of Arab towns.

In less than a month, the movement has ballooned from a few tents in Tel Aviv to a nationwide phenomenon.

The protests initially targeted soaring housing prices, but quickly evolved into a sweeping expression of rage against a wide array of economic issues, including the cost of food, gasoline and education.

The grass roots movement has tapped into a wider sense of frustration over an eroding middle class and growing gaps between rich and poor.

In response, Netanyahu has appointed a special committee to address the protesters’ demands.

The demonstrators have rejected all the reforms offered thus far by the government and have called for a million-person march in 50 cities across the country on Sept. 3.

For the fourth week in a row, tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets to protest against high prices, with demonstrations taking place in all several major cities, including, for the first time, Arab towns.

Tens of thousands of Israelis poured into the streets of cities and towns across the nation Saturday in protests against the country’s high cost of living.

The mass demonstrations have become a weekly ritual this summer, delivering Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government its most serious domestic crisis. Saturday night’s demonstrations marked the fourth consecutive week Israelis have taken to the streets. Last week, more that a quarter of a million people turned out - primarily in Tel Aviv - for one of the largest demonstrations in Israeli history. This week’s gatherings were more modest than in weeks past and focused attention on the country’s poorer outlying areas. Whereas last week’s rally was focused in Tel Aviv, this week saw the protests spread from Nahariya in the north on the Lebanon border, to the port city of Eilat at Israel’s southernmost tip.

ANALYSIS

In the largest protest, more than 20,000 people took to the streets of Haifa in northern Israel, according to police estimates. Another major demonstration was taking place in Beersheba in southern Israel.

For the first time, there were also protests in a number of Arab towns. In less than a month, the movement has ballooned from a few tents in Tel Aviv to a nationwide phenomenon. The protests initially targeted soaring housing prices, but quickly evolved into a sweeping expression of rage against a wide array of economic issues, including the cost of food, gasoline and education. The grass roots movement has tapped into a wider sense of frustration over an eroding middle class and growing gaps between rich and poor. In response, Netanyahu has appointed a special committee to address the protesters’ demands. The demonstrators have rejected all the reforms offered thus far by the government and have called for a million-person march in 50 cities across the country on Sept. 3.

ISRAEL Tel Aviv's protest campground combines sober politics and sheer fun

ISRAEL The Israeli summer of discontent

ISRAEL Mass protest calls for action on living costs

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