[[{"content_id":"21442","domain_id":"0","lang_id":"en","portal_id":"2","owner_id":"29","user_id":"1","view_accesslevel_id":"0","edit_accesslevel_id":"0","delete_accesslevel_id":"0","editor_id":"0","content_title":"Social protest movement in Israel sprang to life again","content_number":"0","content_date_event":"2011-11-19 12:17:00","content_summary":"","content_summary_fill":"0","content_body":"Uri Avnery, renowned Israeli commentator in part of a commentary last week has revealed the true scopes of social justice demonstrations inside 'Israel'. He writes: \r\nLast Saturday, the social protest movement sprang to life again. After a pause of two months, a mass of people assembled in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. This was quite remarkable, because on that very day rockets were falling on the towns near the Gaza Strip. Until now, in such a situation demonstrations have always been canceled. Security problems trump everything else. Not this time.\r\nAlso, many people believed that the euphoria of the Gilad Shalit festival had wiped the protest from the public mind. It didn’t.\r\nBy the way, something remarkable has happened: the media, after siding with the protest movement for months, have had a change of heart. Suddenly all of them, including Haaretz, are sticking knives in its back. As if by order, all newspapers wrote the next day that “more than 20,000” took part. Well I was there, and I do have some idea of these things. There were at least 100,000 people there, most of them young. I could hardly move.\r\nThe protest has not spent itself, as the media assert. Far from it. But what better means for taking people’s minds off social justice than talk of the “existential danger”?\r\nMoreover, the reforms demanded by the protesters would need money. In view of the worldwide financial crisis, the government strenuously objects to increasing the state budget, for fear of damaging our credit rating.\r\nSo where could the money come from? There are only three plausible sources: the settlements (who would dare?), the Orthodox (ditto!) and the huge military budget.\r\nBut on the eve of the most crucial war in our history, who would touch the armed forces? We need every shekel to buymore planes, more bombs, more submarines. Schools and hospitals must, alas, wait.","content_html":"


Uri Avnery, renowned Israeli commentator in part of a commentary last week has revealed the true scopes of social justice demonstrations inside 'Israel'. He writes: <\/font><\/p>\r\n

Last Saturday, the social protest movement sprang to life again. After a pause of two months, a mass of people assembled in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square. This was quite remarkable, because on that very day rockets were falling on the towns near the Gaza Strip. Until now, in such a situation demonstrations have always been canceled. Security problems trump everything else. Not this time.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

Also, many people believed that the euphoria of the Gilad Shalit festival had wiped the protest from the public mind. It didn’t.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

By the way, something remarkable has happened: the media, after siding with the protest movement for months, have had a change of heart. Suddenly all of them, including Haaretz, are sticking knives in its back. As if by order, all newspapers wrote the next day that “more than 20,000” took part. Well I was there, and I do have some idea of these things. There were at least 100,000 people there, most of them young. I could hardly move.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

The protest has not spent itself, as the media assert. Far from it. But what better means for taking people’s minds off social justice than talk of the “existential danger”?<\/font><\/p>\r\n

Moreover, the reforms demanded by the protesters would need money. In view of the worldwide financial crisis, the government strenuously objects to increasing the state budget, for fear of damaging our credit rating.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

So where could the money come from? There are only three plausible sources: the settlements (who would dare?), the Orthodox (ditto!) and the huge military budget.<\/font><\/p>\r\n

But on the eve of the most crucial war in our history, who would touch the armed forces? We need every shekel to buy
more planes, more bombs, more submarines. Schools and hospitals must, alas, wait.<\/font><\/p>","content_source":null,"content_url":null,"content_columns":"0","content_date_start":"2011-11-19 12:17:00","content_date_finish":"2011-11-19 12:17:00","content_date_register":"2011-11-19 12:17:00","content_date_last_edit":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content_show_img":"1","content_show_details":"1","content_show_related_img":"1","content_show_slider":"1","content_show_title_slider":"1","content_comment":"0","content_score":"0","content_recorded":"0","content_confirmed":"1","content_status":"1","content_kind":"0","old_id":"21436","tag_id":null,"tag_word":null,"tag_service":null,"tag_total":null,"tag_soundex":null,"attach_token":null,"attach_date_register":null,"attach_id":null,"attach_file_ext":null,"attach_file_header":null,"attach_img_type":null,"attach_img_width":null,"attach_img_height":null,"attach_file_media":null,"attach_show_watermark":null,"score_average":null,"score_count":null,"score_date_last":null,"visit_count":"226","visit_date_last":"2025-05-10 00:20:26","attach_title":null,"node_title":"Commentaries","ot_node_left_right":"[{\"node_id\":134, \"left\":25, \"right\":26}]"}]]