Warrior102
Gold Member
- May 22, 2011
- 16,554
- 4,124
- 183
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
What the fuck is this idiot doing???
Mass rallies revive Israel protest movement - Middle East - Al Jazeera EnglishTalking about occupation
Dozens of protesters held signs and chanted slogans about the Israeli illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories. "Justice is exiting the territories," one said. Another banner read: "The occupiers demand social justice / The occupied demand justice".
But the vast majority of protesters avoided the issue. The movement's organisers, too, have been reluctant to discuss the occupation, partly out of fear that it will divide what has been a unified movement.
"It's not a mainstream subject," said Gali Erez, sitting on a railing just outside the square. "Most people have a very aggressive reaction when you talk to them about the occupation. It would take time for people to start understanding."
Several protesters did make a connection between the settlements, which cost billions of shekels to maintain, and Israel's socio-economic problems. One sign bore a photo of Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's right-wing foreign minister and a settler himself, with the slogan, "Where is the justice? Where is the money?".
An estimated two thousand people joined the protest, which is due to continue on Sunday. Israelis are angry about the high cost of living.
The government launched cheaper housing initiatives and plans for better education subsidies after last years protests drew hundreds of thousands of Israelis.
But a year on, many of them accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging his feet.
Israels cabinet has approved a package of tax rises and spending cuts aimed at reining in the budget deficit. The country weathered the global economic crisis well until a year ago when exports began to slow amid the downturn in the US and Europe.