Del Boy; The answer is simply new politics. After years of fighting that hasn’t reached Israelis, the tent protest’s message went straight into their hearts. It sounds simplistic but this is the truth. For years, there was no way of relating Israelis to the political camp which believes in social justice and strives for a more perfect society. It’s because we always began the conversation at the point in which we defend another people and not our own. And suddenly, when one speaks of our people and their right to justice, equality and equal opportunities, the hearts open up. And when hearts open up, it is also clear that a just society cannot be an occupying one. So simple, so precise.
The tent protest is the most exciting political trend in Israel’s history. It’s most important characteristic is the rise of a new political discourse, a counter-action to the rapidly deteriorating space for democracy and living conditions in Israel over the past years. Politics of loyalty has been pushed aside to make space for the surprisingly unique tent politics. In tent politics there is no patience for shallow slogans and baseless promises; in tent politics old molds are irrelevant. We have hardly heard the words: left/right, Zionist/traitor, security, Iran or threat. This is not because the tent protest is “apolitical.” It is because too many times in the past, the right-wing conservatives have tried to pull the wool over Israelis’ eyes and de-politicize politics: of salaries, of prices, of privatization and of the Occupation. In an enormous outpouring from all types and all over the country, Israelis are clearly saying: we see you and we don’t believe you.
The expansion of the struggle and the inclusion of the doctors’ protest, the social workers, students, local authorities and municipalities, is unprecedented. It is still too early to say whether the tent protest will culminate in a collapse of the government, and the rise of a new political movement – or the rehabilitation of existing parties. The major challenge ahead is developing a political discourse that includes humanism, democracy, social and environmental justice.
We can already say that the best chance of shirking the old order toward a better future is in the tents throughout Israel. When the Israeli middle class is awakening, it seems that things have truly reached a dead-end. I support the protest. Social justice can start with housing costs but mustn’t end there, because the power of the people can and should be used to change the wrongful distribution of resources in this country. Israel is seeing the birth of a new movement, one that calls for a major and perhaps unprecedented social change. The strength of this social movement has been its ability to bring together citizens of Israel from different political and ethnic backgrounds. However the strength of this movement is also its weakness. To be able to bring the masses to the streets, protesters have largely ignored the effect of the occupation on Israel domestic problems. So to the protesters: don’t shy away from politics. Take part in it, take it over. Offer a complete social alternative and not just a struggle over another Shekel in the price of cheese. Don’t run away from the occupation – end it before it swallows us all. Israelis are paying a very high price for the occupation. At this important crossroad, Israelis cannot afford to continue ignoring the impact of occupation on their lives. They cannot continue living and voting out of fear, basing their choices solely on security issues. This is the time for Israelis to rise up, not just for a cosmetic change, but for fixing Israel problems from the roots. This is the time to end the occupation.
My mind tells me that it’s too early to reach any conclusion about a change in political discourse in Israel – but my heart says “yes,” something fundamental has happened here. It seems like the discourse is being transformed from the “warped” left-right discussions based on security and diplomacy, to the “normal” left-right discussions based on economy I feel that Israelis, over the last few years, have developed a keen “economic awareness”. As this “economic awareness” has grown, so has the frustration from the absence of the “trickle-down” economy that Netanyahu promised. Israelis now understand more about money, and they easily track to whose pockets it goes to. Not theirs. This “economic awareness”, combined with the security issues that interest fewer and fewer people as time goes by, have the potential to change the political discourse sooner than we think. This is a process that has hopefully only just begun, and will continue to develop and take shape. But for it to really constitute a new political era in how Israel defines social justice, it must define its identity clearly and demand to take the country back, not only from the government, but from those people with whom they have very little in common, who have a different vision for this country (whether it be segregating men and women on buses or Palestinians and Israelis at the supermarket) and have been too comfortable in their position at the expense of the majority for too long. If a redefinition of social justice and equal distribution is to really take hold in Israel, Jewish citizens must also deal with their own demons.
I hope it’s the beginning of a new political era in Israel. Because something totally unexpected happened: the Israeli people’s political awakening, which challenges explicitly the political system & electoral system and its official culture (by ‘its official culture’, I don’t mean Zionism: I mean rightist nationalism).
So the answer to your question is: Change the dysfunctional political system. It's that simple and yet so hard.
