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Organizer Orli Barlev said:
"The message is one against the political system that does not count the citizens. What we saw this week were moves that resulted from personal interests of power and control. This government has greatly deepened social gaps."
Barlev meant the Likud/Kadima unity deal. Party heads Netanyahu and Shaul Mofaz became coalition partners. Doing so more deeply corrupted Israeli politics. Democratic values sustained another body blow.
Growing social and economic inequality affects most Israelis. Since the 1980s, policies disproportionately favored the rich. Social benefits keep eroding. Wealth disparity gaps widen. Unemployment and poverty grow. So do increasing hunger and homelessness.
Israelis face similar race to the bottom issues as Western societies. At issue is neoliberal harshness. Only elitist interests matter. Wealth and power are prioritized over human need.
People finally react and say no more. Grievances they want addressed include:
(1) Unaffordable housing. It includes intolerable burden of being priced out of a place to live.
(2) High food and energy prices.
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