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Analysis

Renewal: The Other Israel – The Politics of the Social Protests

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The social issues that brought huge numbers of Israelis to protest in the country’s boulevards and city squares last summer are again gaining momentum. Last week, Shaul Mofaz, in his first interview after being elected as the new chairman of the Kadima party, vowed to campaign on the platform of social justice and to lead Israel’s social protests this summer. Israel’s current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, marking his governments three year anniversary, gave a speech this week highlighting the strengths of Israel’s economy, and spoke with an eye to the possibility of another round of social protests. The rise of petrol prices to a record NIS 8 (£1.35) per litre last weekend has also brought  the cost of living issue back to the forefront of the Israeli political agenda.

This week, BICOM’s Toby Greene, Alan Johnson and Noam Leshem, have published an in depth report for the social democratic journal Renewal,  examining what caused last summer’s remarkable and unexpected social protest movement in Israel,  its  political ramifications and historical context.

 

To read the full report click here.