A Failed Revolution: Why Israel's Next Social Protest Will Be A Violent One

[Purveyor]

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 elected them.

By Ilan Manor

The next social protect in Israel will be a violent one, and not simply because the last one failed. The next protest will be violent because of the social stagnation that currently characterizes Israeli society, a stagnation that prevents social mobility. The next protest will be violent because of the government’s economic policies that are in direct contrast to the values expressed by half a million Israelis who took to the streets in 2011.

The next social protest will be violent because the anguish of the lower classes has fallen on deaf ears. The financial status of Israel’s lower classes has not improved over the past two years. On the contrary, it has only worsened. The deteriorating welfare of Israel’s lower classes was made evident on Tuesday thanks to the publication of the annual “Alternative Poverty Report” by Latet, an Israeli nonprofit that serves needy populations.

According to the report, there are now more Israeli families with two wage earners who live under the poverty line than there were in 2011. In addition, Latet’s findings indicate an increase in the number of families who are forced to skip meals due to financial difficulties or elderly pensioners who are unable to afford medical treatments. Two years after the social justice protest swept Israel, more Israeli children are forced to drop out of school in order to help sustain their families and more Israelis are unable to afford prescribed medications.

The fear of financial hardships is not limited to the poor. Latet’s report shows that some 45 percent of Israelis fear for their financial security. Amongst these one can find Israelis belonging to the middle class, Israelis who also feel betrayed by Finance Minister Yair Lapid, whom they saw as their champion of social justice issues but whose conservative economic policies have done nothing to better their lives. Yet these Israelis are mistaken for Lapid has proven a diligent servant of his true political base, the Israeli financial elite. After all, Lapid received the most votes in Israel’s wealthiest townships.

The most striking aspect of Israel’s current financial reality is the widening gap between the rich and poor. As more and more Israelis find themselves below the poverty line, Israel’s ‘one percent’ continues to act like a pack of jet-setting Bon Vivants even though they now preside over crumbling financial empires. One by one, Israel’s “tycoons” are finding themselves amassing massive debt and losses and one by one, these “tycoons” refuse to relinquish control over their empires and chauffeurs. Israel’s financial elite acts as if it rules by divine right and is therefore not accountable for its gross incompetence.

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http://972mag.com/a-failed-revolution-why-israels-next-social-protest-will-be-a-violent-one/83889/

[2banon]

1. I didn't even know there was an uprising in 2011.. missed my radar.

how did Bibi get elected then? or do you suppose that outcome was engineered?

[loudsue]

2. I hope it was engineered. I'd hate to think there are that many people in Israel that

would vote for him on purpose.