social protest

(Illustrative photo by Shutterstock.com)

Kicking the neoliberal habit

After the 2008 global financial crisis, some of Israel’s neo-liberal fundamentalists sobered up from capitalist dogmatism and became ‘social.’ This led them to discovering Scandinavia, and lately they have been busy marketing a biased and union-free capitalist version of the ‘Nordic Model’ in Israel as well. By Yossi Dahan (Translated from Hebrew by Orna Meir-Stacey, Edited by…

By Haokets April 12, 2014

J14 protesters burn government reports which weren't implemented, Tel Aviv, July 7th 2012 (photo: activestills.org)

A failed revolution: Why Israel’s next social protest will be a violent one

The next social protest will be violent because the demand will no longer be for change but for a revolution – and revolutions are violent by nature. Two years after Israel’s social protests, poverty is only increasing, a small number of people control the economy and politicians are still ignoring the grievances of those who…

By +972 Magazine December 18, 2013

Anti Morsi protesters in Cairo, Egypt (photo: Mohamed Azazy / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Between admiration and cynicism: Mixed opinions of the Egyptian revolution in Israel

While many Israeli media reports praise the crowds who led (to) the overthrow of Mohammed Morsi, conservative writers continue to view the Arab Spring with skepticism | The common view is that the regional turmoil relieves some of the pressure on Israel over the Palestinian issue. In the morning following the overthrow of Egypt’s Mohammed…

By Noam Sheizaf July 4, 2013

Latest

The Governor of the Bank of Israel and former Chief Economist World Bank Stanley Fischer surrounded by protesters as they walk out of a cultural event in Tel Aviv, May 25 2013 (photo: Ilai Ben Amar)

PHOTO: Bank of Israel governor Fischer is caught in social protest

This is one of the best images the Israeli social protest has produced: the Governor of the Bank of Israel and former chief economist at the World Bank Stanley Fischer walking out of a cultural event in central Tel Aviv, surrounded by protesters who happened to be gathering at a nearby square when they spotted…

By Noam Sheizaf May 27, 2013

Public housing activists and other social activists protesting in front of the house of the new finance minister, Yair Lapid. April 6 2013 (photo: Yotam Ronen / Activestills)

Can Israel’s social justice protest movement make a comeback?

Will Israeli masses return to the streets for social justice? After nearly a month of weekly protests outside the house of Yair Lapid, the new finance minister – numbering about 400 people each and organized by post-#J14 groups for public housing – a much bigger demonstration is planned for Saturday night with more than 10,000…

By Haggai Matar May 10, 2013

Public housing activists and other social activists protesting in front of the house of the new finance minister, Yair Lapid. April 6 2013 (photo: Yotam Ronen / Activestills)

Activists hold first protest against Israeli Finance Minister Lapid

Roughly 200 demonstrators gathered last night (Saturday) in front of new Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s north Tel Aviv home in protest of planned cuts to social services and benefits. The protesters demanded that the finance minister cover budget deficits by taxing the highest-earning Israelis, rather than cutting benefits to the poor and unemployed, as Lapid hinted he would do. The…

By Noam Sheizaf April 6, 2013

Government laughs in the face of economic desperation

A review of the year of social protests – just hours before the demonstration planned against the government’s budget – yields bad news: The government has offered shallow solutions and deepened the roots of economic inequality. Last year’s social paradox During last summer’s social protests, outsiders and curious journalists repeatedly asked me how to explain…

By Dahlia Scheindlin August 4, 2012

Debate on draft reform moves Israel further away from democracy

If Netanyahu’s government doesn’t come up with a solution, the army could soon start enlisting all of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox citizens. But while it is convenient to see the debate on a universal draft as a step toward equality, Israeli militarism should be challenged by decreasing the army’s size, not enlarging it. The deadline is…

By Noam Sheizaf July 5, 2012

Dollar_symbol (Photo: By Svilen.milev (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons)

No social justice until Israel curbs exhorbitant cost of occupation

A new Israeli think tank report analyzes the cost of the occupation in terms of government budget allocations, and breaks down damage the conflict causes to the Israeli economy and society. By Timna Axel One of the most remarkable aspects of the social protests that began on Rothschild Boulevard and swept through Israel last summer…

By +972 Magazine May 31, 2012

Thousands take part in May 12 protests, ten arrested

Rallies were part of international day of protest. The largest event took place in Tel Aviv, where speakers denounced the new unity government. UPDATE: A video showing protesters expose and confront an undercover policeman was added to this piece. Around 5,000 protesters in Rabin Square. took part yesterday (Saturday) night in what was labeled “the…

By +972 Magazine May 12, 2012

Coalition deal’s bright side: Days numbered for rotten government

The Israeli political system and the media were thrown into a frenzy by the unprecedented announcement that the early elections will be postponed following a coalition deal between Kadima – formerly known as the opposition – and Likud. Everyone is spitting mad: the talking heads have been cheated out of their favorite game; newbie Yair…

By Dahlia Scheindlin May 7, 2012

Im Tirtzu demonstrator, 9 December 2011 (Photo: Dahlia Scheindlin)

Following protest, bank freezes support for anti-democratic group

Im Tirtzu, the nasty little organization that has ushered in some of the more dangerous trends in Israel – policing academic thought, turning Zionism into a sort of raison d’état – has suffered a powerful blow issued with swift and impressive precision by an apparently lethal force: consumers. Bank Leumi, one of the country’s oldest…

By Dahlia Scheindlin December 11, 2011

J14 March in Kikar Hamedina 3.9.11 (Photo ActiveStills)

J14: Initial thoughts on final rally

A week of anticipation and seven weeks of breathtaking national energy wrapped up – for this phase – with a massive rally in Tel Aviv’s Kikar Hamedina attended by roughly 300,000 people and over 100,000 in other parts of the country. An hour before, families streamed down the streets and people kneeled on the sidewalk…

By Dahlia Scheindlin September 3, 2011