1) Class war within the neo-liberal capitalist system and the rebellion ignited by the Israeli "middle class".
The class war between the capitalist class and the working class within the capitalist system is mainly about the cost of the reproduction of the working power. The smaller is the cost of the reproduction of the working power (wages, and social services covered in part by taxes levied on the capitalists) the larger is the part of the fruits of work remain as profits (surplus value) in the coffers of the capitalists.
Withing the capitalist system the main struggle between the working class and the capitalist class employers is about the wages the workers get (the wage, the health insurance and the pension mainly) and in smaller measure about taxes workers pay and quality of social services.
Lately, due to the gradual constriction of the well-fare state of the neo-liberalism and lately states austerity measures (including taxes) to cover the losses of finance capitalists due to the last crash, attention of exploited people turn from their employers to the state activity related to the constriction of social services and the "social wages" (health, education, dwelling, unemployment support and pensions mainly).
We have seen the mounting of the struggle of working class following measures to cover the crash loss in Europe - mainly in Greece and Spain. Now, the struggle exploded in Israel too though its financial capital did not suffer serious losses due to the crash, and state did not started emergency austerity measures... It started because the wages and more so the social-wage of its "middle class" strata of the working class was gradually decimated and become unbearable. The success of the fierce neo-liberalism of the piggish capitalism of privatization and diminishing public services advanced in Israel more than in the other developed countries.
The squirrel that brought the summer revolt was the successful internet consumers revolt two months ago - following the increase of the cost of the cottage cheese by the monopoles.
It exploded this month as the cost of renting increased significantly last few months due to market failure.
Though most of the activists involved have not put it forward as a factor, most people resent the allocation of huge part of the state resources to the settler colonialist project and to non productive orthodox community.
It started as an internet call for tent camp to protest the jump in the rent of dwelling.
It materialized at first as a dozen participants in a tent camp near the national theater building (Rothschild boulevard). It took just two weeks to expand to include few hundred tents along the whole length of the boulevard, with thousands of dwellers. With wider spectrum of grievances, and to the mobilization of about 2.5% of the population in Saturday 30-7-11 demonstration (150,000 of about 7 millions).
The main demands are: free education since age of 3 months, diminish the sales taxes all pay and increase the direct taxes rich pay; providing low cost dwellings (to buy and for rent) by stopping state and municipal speculation of public land and building of small apartments and public housing; healing the public health system the MDs union (mostly hospital doctors) are in few months selective strike for; stop the precariouzation of workers using working power companies (already 10% of working force); recruiting of 500 inspectors to enforce the employers the laws regulating work - especially the low of minimum wages.
It took 3 weeks from the start of the tent camp by dozen activists till the government agreed to massive change, but the bargaining may take its time.
(Some bureaucrats kick themselves for not destroying the tent camp in the first day or the seccond before it collected momentum.)
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