Amid Rage Against Price Hikes

Yellow Vest Protests Reach Occupied Palestine

Date: 14 December 2018 - 21:54

News ID: ۶۰۷۵۱

AL-QUDS (Dispatches) – People were set to hold French-style protests in Tel Aviv and the occupied al-Quds against the rising living costs on Friday.
Inspired by ‘Yellow Vest’ protests in France, organizers of the demonstration called on protesters to show up in city centers wearing yellow fluorescent traffic safety vests similar to what French demonstrators have worn in recent weeks in their protests against the high cost of living.
The protests were organized following the news of yet another wave of upping the prices. Tel Aviv has suggested 8% rise in the price of electric power, 4.5% in the cost of water services and a 2%-4% increase in the cost of basic food-stuffs sold by major supermarket chains.
"As in France, Israel does not remain uncaring when faced with the news of yet another wave of upping the cost of living, which will make our lives here much harder,” the organizers said in a press release.
"We Israelis are sick and tired of paying the cost of corruption and massive profits made by tycoons. We’ve had enough,” it added.
"The time has come to learn from the French. We’re done being nice,” the statement noted.
Several Zionist politicians have expressed their support for the protest movement, including Yair Lapid, the opposition Yesh Atid party chairman and former finance minister.
A photograph of Lapid wearing a yellow vest was released on social media on Wednesday by those who support the protest with no relation to Lapid or his party.
Zionist Union MK Itzik Shmuli, one of the leaders of a wave of cost-of-living protests in the occupied territories in 2011, and his party colleague Eitan Cabel have convened a session of the Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee next week on to address the pending price hikes.
In 2012, several protesters, including an Armed Forces’ veteran, died after setting themselves on fire in a desperate act of protest at the high cost of living in the occupied territories.
The Friday’s copycat protests were organized as thousands of demonstrators wearing yellow vests have been gathering in French cities since November 17. They initially began protesting controversial fuel tax and the high costs of living. The demonstrations, however, continued even after President Emmanuel Macron scrapped the plan to increase prices.

Syrian refugees check the damage following a fire that ripped through their camp in the village of Yammouneh in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, December 3, 2018.