Five years ago, early in the summer of 2011, Itzik Arlov—an Israeli from the ultra-orthodox city Bnai Brak—used his Facebook page to complain about the rising price of cottage cheese in the country. His post went viral. It ignited a protest movement, with middle-income citizens demanding “social justice” from the government. Led by students and young professionals, Israelis took the protest to the streets.

For decades, Israel’s middle class—which carried a significantly larger burden than other sectors in terms of labor force participation, military service, and tax contributions—was silent about its economic struggles. That time ended that summer. During that summer, hundreds of working-class citizens who struggled to afford housing pitched tents along the streets of Tel Aviv and lived in them for weeks, even months. That September, about half a million Israelis (over 6 percent of the country’s total population) marched in the streets to make their voices heard, demanding solutions to reduce the cost of living, and of housing in particular.

These protests defined Israeli politics in the years to come. Ever since, most political parties in Israel shifted their electoral platforms from peace (or lack of it) to economics. Since 2011, the rising stars of Israeli politics have been either former leaders of the social movement or those who have been able to transform the predominant discontent into votes in national elections.

Read the full article at Brookings.