Politisches Erwachen in Israel
Die enormen Kosten der Unterdrückungspolitik Israels gegenüber den Palästinensern und die masslose Bereicherung der Unternehmer und ihrer Handlanger im Staatsapparat beginnen, die innenpolitische Lage zu verändern. Für die Lohnabhängigen wird das Leben von Jahr zu Jahr schlechter. Die Jugend sieht eine Zukunft vor sich, die schlechter sein wird als die der Eltern. Die Älteren sehen, dass ihre Lebensleistung nicht dazu führt, dass die Kinder "es einmal besser haben werden", sondern dass das Gegenteil der Fall ist. Am vergangenen Wochendende haben wieder Hundertausende gegen die Rechtsregierung demonstriert, in den Meldungen ist von bis zu einer halben Million die Rede.
Die Kommunistische Jugend beschreibt im nachstehend gespiegelten Statement die Lage und fasst die Forderungen der Jugend, die der treibende Teil der Bewegung ist, zusammen:
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Statement of the Young Communist League of Israel (August 2011)
The huge wave of demonstrations that is sweeping Israel for the last month and half, including a demonstration of 300,000 protestors in Tel-Aviv on August 6th, presented a very clear message: The Israeli working class in general, and young people in particular, revolts against the soaring prices of housing and basic commodities, and no longer agrees to silently abide to a social system that works against the interest of the vast majority, and for the interests of the few.
This social protest movement, characterized by the setting-up of thousands of protest tents throughout the country, is led by young people, and raises demands that address the needs of the general population, but also specifically the needs of youth and students.
The wave of revolutions in the Arab countries, which saw the unleashing of creative energy, against oppression and poverty, and for democracy and social justice, has long hit Europe, where young people took to the streets in Spain, Greece, and elsewhere. Now, we are now witnessing a similar struggle in Israel: Young people, many of which have been dormant and passive, are now taking interest in politics, mobilizing massively on the streets, and are involved in democratically discussing the strategy and tactics of this movement.
The Young Communist League of Israel (YCLI) has supported this protest movement since its onset, as it expresses the interests of the great majority of young people in Israel, Jews and Arabs alike. Our commitment to social change, and our vast experience in organizing both cadres and masses, means that our Comrades are in the leadership of many local protest encampments, and are also present in the national leadership of the movement.
We have a special responsibility in broadening the scope of the protest movement, bringing it into the periphery of the country, to poor neighborhood inside the big cities, and into small towns, far off from the metropolitan areas. This is most evident in Arab towns and villages, where we are the key player in this recent wave of struggle, leading the initiatives of building protest encampments and organizing demonstrations.
As an integral part of this young, vibrant, dynamic and growing social movement, we raise immediate demands, which include:
- Young married couples cannot afford buying a flat. YCLI demands massive government housing projects, including in Arab towns and villages, and subsidization of mortgages (as was the case until the 1980s, when Neo-Liberal austerity plans were adopted).
- University and College students cannot pay the high rent. YCLI demands municipalities to adopt regulations that place a top limit for rents, to stop them from rising. Furthermore, the government should fund more dormitories in universities and colleges, to allow more students to live near where they study.
- The cost of living is on the rise, but monthly salaries remain constant. As a result, more and more workers, especially young workers who are employed in precarious jobs, cannot make ends meet. YCLI demands the government to intervene and fix prices for basic food commodities, for gas, public transportation, electricity and water, and to pay a monthly cost-of-living allowance to every worker.
- Arab towns and villages face an acute housing crisis, manifested by lack of building permits and confiscation of lands. YCLI demands an immediate stop of land confiscations, and a return of lands confiscated in the past. The regional and local outline plans for the Arab towns and villages should allocate areas for development of housing, and building permits shall be given on an equal basis. The brutal policy of house demolitions, which the government is directing not only against Palestinian in the occupied territories, but also against the Palestinian citizens of Israel, most be abolished, including in the so-called "Unrecognized villages" of Bedouin tribes in the south of Israel.
Quelle: http://maki.org.il/en/component/content/article/11213-massive-youth-mobilization-for-social-change |