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Instead of addressing these issues responsibly, Israeli officials ignore them. Dominant party leaders speak with one voice. Only privilege matters. Most Israelis increasingly are on their own, sink or swim.
Social justice are four-letter words. Netanyahu, likeminded hardliners, and most other MKs spurn what matters most to most people.
Daphni Leef is an Israeli social justice activist. In 2002, she joined dozens of other pre-military-aged youths. They went public. They exercised their right to refuse. They wanted no part of Israel's "army of occupation."
In late spring 2011, Leef was ordered to vacate her Tel Aviv apartment. She'd lived there for three years. She spent fruitless weeks searching for affordable accommodations.
Rental prices are too high. In metropolitan Tel Aviv, they doubled in the past five years. Leef pitched a tent in Tel Aviv's Habima Square.
She went public on Facebook. She urged others to join her. Momentum built. Dozens became thousands. Israelis turned out nationwide en masse.
Social justice became a rallying cry. Leaf was a force to be reckoned with. It didn't go unnoticed.
On January 7, Haaretz headlined "Israeli social protest leader Leef charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest," saying:
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