Opinion
Did you see it, Netanyahu?
Sima Kadmon
Published: 07.08.11, 08:17
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31. #11 Fiona
Devorah   (08.07.11)
It's not you. It's the whiners and complainers who get their kicks off the backs of hard-working people like you.
32. to #5
Helena ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (08.07.11)
just for your info - social democrats lost two elections in Sweden - so far... Apparently people are fed up with socialism - even when it has a human face:-(. as far as the protests in Israel are concerned - they are great!!! and long overdue... Middle class seculars have been made milked by all Israeli governments regardless of the party color. It is time that haredim and there ilk who are speedily procreating start paying their way. But the only way to get there: vote smarter and take the power (and money) away from the haredim parties!
33. one-sided
chava ,   yerushalayim   (08.07.11)
You've seen some protests in your time? No doubt. And you mentioned some of them. BUT, were you at the protests for the Golan? Were you at any of those for Gush Katif, ie against the gerush? These protests were just as big, and the people firmly believed in their causes. One could feel the electricity in the crowds. You seem to be a bit one-sided, although you claim that all sides were there. Yes, prices are high and there's more month at the end of the money. So, let's work on solving the problems. "Social justice" is just a phrase. What's needed are solutions, not phrases.
34. demonstration
nihom ,   netanya Isr ael   (08.07.11)
don't blame Bibi. Blame all the governments since 1948 You should be honest and understand this economical and human problem which has to be solved. But this takes time. Harry
35. Stop Speaking On My "Behalf"!
Ester ,   Givat Shmuel, Israel   (08.07.11)
Who are "the people"? Am I a part of the people? I am a young woman, just out of school. I work hard and earn just barely enough to cover basic expenses. I commute two hours to work because I cannot afford to live near my office. I would like "social justice", whatever that means. But I am not foolish enough to protest the very bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing. What do these protesters think they can accomplish by living in tents? Demanding the government buy us all apartments will only hurt us in the long run when the government runs out of money for medicine, pensions and most important, education. My tax money is hard earned at it had better be well spent. I will not pay for someone else to buy an apartment when I cannot even afford my own. These people need to get off the streets and find jobs before they take down the entire lower-middle class by destroying the economy with their communist policies. The people you didn't see at the protest, people like me, are terrified of this protest and everything it stands for. You have muted us with the claim that you fight for social "justice", so to not support you means to be against justice.The look you saw in the shining eyes of those adults was fear, not pride, and certainly not jealousy. Fear of how ignorance and the cry of a false "social justice" can arouse so many to follow like sheep.
36. Police" 180,000" Media" 300,000" ? End
CredibilityPlease ,   Jerusalem Israel   (08.07.11)
37. The Way Forward
Adam Neira ,   Melb, Australia   (08.07.11)
As an example of the zeitgeist, the massive gatherings last night in the State of Israel are a warning. The cottage cheese protest a few months ago was a tiny little crack in the matrix. This tent campaign is opening the floodgates. It is unlikely that violent revolution will ensue as most Israelis are reasonable creatures, but the various powers that be should not pay lip service to the protestor's demands. Any nation can explode if the pressure builds up too much. Believe it or not the protests are part of a bigger picture. All the various leaders must choose a long term program to increase the general welfare of their resident populations. The Middle East is seething with aspiration, intent and purpose right now. How this energy is channelled is the key. The current GDP of the areas of Israel, Judea and Samaria/The West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia is approximately $1.6 trillion. This region can grow by at least 5% p.a. over the coming 38 years. If the right command structure is put in place the Holy Land will be a platform of peace, stability and prosperity. The whole world will benefit from this centre of unfolding potential. This is not blue sky thinking. There are concrete benefits to the correct plan and vision prevailing. Three options to click things forward : (1) Install the divinely mandated person in his rightful place in Jerusalem, i.e. Tent of Meeting idea. He will be able to explain the divinely mandated plan, timetable and conduct the right meetings. (2) Hold an International Peace Conference in Jerusalem to replace/act as an adjunct to the stalled NPT, the UN General Assembly and Pope Benedict's Assisi initiative. (3) A combination of the above.
38. Spin spin propellers
Yitzchak ,   TA   (08.07.11)
Rabin insisted that as long as he had a majority in the Knesset he would ignore the protests and the protesters. In this context he said, "they (the protesters) can spin around and around like propellers"
39. #28
Michael ,   Haifa   (08.07.11)
1. Welfare States intervene by imposing higher taxes on higher earners and then determining (which is intervention) the priorities of how the money is spent on issues such as education, health, infrastructures, and, as opposed to Israel, they spend a great deal on these issues for the benefit of their citizens. Netanyahu lowers personal income and company tax and his expenditure priorities are devoted mainly towards shoring up his coalition support...money for parasitical haredim, money for settlers and their infrastructures, money for maintaining a goverment of obscene proportions, money that goes to the defence establishment without adequate transparency, money that is not spent on infrastructures, money that provides insufficient salaries to teachers, social workers, doctors. money that gives perks to tycoons, oligarchs and monopolists 3) It matters not who is responsible for this situation. It is the responsibility of the present government to correct all this by changing its economic priorities and adopting a welfare state model. If your concept of a Free Market is the equivalent of a Welfare State, then we are in total agreement, but I suspect it is not
40. The answer to housing is not allow foreigners to buy.
naro ,   jerusalem   (08.07.11)
Israelis are competing for housing with deep pocketed foreign investors who are bringing their undeclared, "black" money into Israel to hide it from their native tax authorities. They buy apartments, which do not have to be declared to their tax people. Israel has become the money laundering center for the Jewish world, and this is driving up real estate through the roof. YNET has refused to publish my posts in the past.
41. #ThawretWeladElKalb
A7mad ,   Egypt   (08.07.11)
check this on twitter u will see how Egyptians support u lol :D
42. #19
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (08.07.11)
Thanks for your great Talkbacks, but yes, Netanyahu did two things to create the housing shortage. When Netanyahu stopped Jewish building in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, he increased demand and prices went up. Second, there used to be cheap apartments in Tel Aviv that are now all rented out to illegal immigrants that Netanyahu did not manage to stop. What is funny is that the same people who are funding these protests are the ones who demand more illegal immigration, ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea and Samaria, forbidding Jews living in Muslim neighborhoods, and transfer of government land to illegal Muslim squatters.
43. Not quite
Paul ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (08.07.11)
One has to distrust anything the Left, who considers Bibi like Bush, conjures up. The Left has been so deceitful and shown so much hatred to the other half of the population, that I don't believe this says anything new, except that the Left wants power, and they are willing to Ape the Arabs revolts.
44. #39 Michael, Haifa.
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (08.07.11)
You didn't answer my question. Also, you seem to think that government bureaucrats know better than individuals how to spend their money. Your answer to everything is higher taxes & bigger government. Soak the rich just doesn't work. And, when you raise taxes on businesses, especially large business in an uncompetitive market such as Israel, they just pass the taxes on to consumers in higher prices. The very wealthy can always avoid taxes no matter what. That's just a fact of life. In fact, lowering taxes increases economic activity, increases government revenue, reduces tax evasion, & limits people who work in the ''black'' ..... I very much take exception to one part of your comment. While I am against any subsidies, why do you single out Haredim & ''setlers'' - aren't they citizens? Do you think that whole catagories of people who you don't like should be excluded from benefits? I notice you didn't mention Arabs - do they deserve child support but Haredim not?
45. #42 Israel Israeli, Tel Aviv.
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (08.07.11)
I couldn't agree with you more.
46. 28, terry: free market
eporue ,   europe   (08.07.11)
you cant compare the farmer state of australia with israel... what you call a free market is basically economical anarchy... this doesnt work, nowhere, and particulary not in israel, which is small, cant consume all its products manufactured, has to export to survive... a market needs to be regulated, that doesnt mean restricted, but the government has to take measures to buffer certain events, e.g. the fuel prices... otherwise those events (in the free market) always hit the invidividual on the street in full blow... your government is just snoring, thats the whole problem... not caring, snoring, lazy... and a bit dumb... sorry..
47. and the corporate taxes...
eporue ,   europe   (08.07.11)
...no, not increasing them does help anything... for a company owner, it has to pay, that he has a company. he is taking a big risk, investing money, and works much more hours than his employees... it has to pay, to run or found a company... ONLY companies provide jobs... without them you will be unemployed... people must be motivated to set up companies, to make something new...
48. Greedy Rich vs Needy Poor
John   (08.07.11)
Many people are sick and tired of the rich and powerful economically raping them for their benefit and greed with the things that the people need like food, fuel, shelter, etc. A great deal of the price increases have been from speculation and artificial manipulation and control rather than by any real shortages. It's the greedy rich vs the needy poor. It's time that the government elected by the people did something to protect the people from economic rape and abuse by rich greedy, sociopaths whose only purpose in life is to make more and more money while most others are barely surviving and making and having less and less money as a consequence of this economic imbalance.
49. Ridiculous.
michael Pielet ,   Boca raton, Israel   (08.07.11)
in the 1990's I joined hundreds of thousands of Israelies in Jerusalem demonstrating against Oslo. Our demonstrations were downplayed and ignored by the Israel media. Our demonstrations had absolutely no impact on Rabin's and Peres's high stake gamble which resulted in thousands of deaths and casualties for absolutely no benefit.. The left and the Israeli bureaucracy are responsible for the housing shortage Prime Minister Netanyahu will increase the supply of housing and solve the problem.
50. Just a lie of professional journalist
Vadim   (08.07.11)
I saw at least 3 larger protests: against Golan pull-out, against division of Jerusalem, against Gaza pull-out. May be you, Sima didn't see them as our free press including you did not provide much coverage
51. get a hold of yourself and i don't mean that way
ralph   (08.07.11)
your perspective, spin is way off base. wet dreams do not constitute reality.
52. #19: Netanyahu stopped Jewish building in Judea / Samaria
Steve   (08.07.11)
#19 wrote: "When Netanyahu stopped Jewish building in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, he increased demand and prices went up....What is funny is that the same people who are funding these protests are the ones who demand....ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea and Samaria..." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Interesting perspective. It makes a lot of sense to those who warned of the terrible consequence of bowing to Obama's immoral demand that Jews not build in Judea, Samaria and parts of Jerusalem; that ultimately these areas must be Jew-free according to Obama and Abbas, his partner. Bowing to immoral American pressure has consequences.
53. Yes and just imagine if you got your way
Jill E. ,   Israel   (08.07.11)
and close to 500,000 people started looking for homes inside the Green Line. WOULD YOU STILL WHINE THEN??
54. #28_higher taxes
Colonel_RG ,   Ashdod   (08.07.11)
Let me tell you something: I'm a (relatively) higher earner, for every extra 2 sheq. that I earn one is taken away by taxes. I accept it because I'm a part of society; however, strip my earnings more and I loose every motivation to work harder. I won't see that extra sheq. but neither will you. Higher taxes is a stupid idea that eventually will leave everyone with nothing.
55. It is far more important what we didn't see
BEN JABO ,   ISRAEL   (08.07.11)
NOBODY WAS SHOT because they were protesting what the Government did or didn't do NO BLOOD IN THE ESTREETS, it this rallye had taken place in one our neighboring countries, the blood would have flowed like water That is the difference between us and them
56. #17 "Wellfare State"
Shalom ,   U.S.A.   (08.07.11)
Socialism is a failure.The Soviet UnIon has collapsed, the european wellfare states are on the brink of financial diaster. Social justice has a different meaning in your intoxicated mind by false marxist ideas. The true meaning of this term is equal opportunities for everybody who wants to go to school to make progress instead of relying on corrupt, fraudulent social programs.
57. #6, it means give me more take more from someone else
Danny   (08.07.11)
58. #15, are you serious?
Danny   (08.07.11)
You forgot that genius Barak who ran away from Lebanon and nearly brought the country to its knees with the 2nd intifada? Or maybe you forgot the genius of the previous government who brought a half-hearted "embargo" on Gaza, managed to do enough in Lebanon in 2006 to get Israel universally condemned but not enough to actually win outright and then just in case it was not clear did it again in Gaza in 2009.
59. #39, in other words no answer.
Danny   (08.07.11)
and Israel has a higher tax rate for individuals than Australia which kicks in at a lower salary than Australia.
60. Welcom Leftists
Reality Check ,   Florida, USA   (08.07.11)
Maybe Obama will pay your rent if you agree not to live north of hatmarim street.
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