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Former Israeli Minister Predicts Violent 'Israeli Spring'

"Don't belittle the chances of an Israeli Spring," warns former Labor party minister Ra'anan Cohen, addressing Israel's lack of economic vision and deepening social gaps.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MAY 11:  (ISRAEL OUT) Demonstrators march through the streets to protest against Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid's budget cuts on May 11, 2013 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest against austerity measures presented this week as part of the state's new budget.  (Photo by Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)
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More than a decade has passed since former minister Ra'anan Cohen resigned from political life and entered the business world. Cohen, who served as minister of labor and social affairs on behalf of the Labor party, is convinced that the social movement that erupted in Israel two years ago will become a violent protest in the future. When society's gaps only deepen and the circle of poverty widens, people feel that they have nothing to lose.

Cohen, 72, was born in Iraq and spent his childhood in an Israeli transit camp. He now serves as chairman of the board of the Israeli Wholesale Market. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Cohen sketches a disturbing picture of a society that has lost its sense of solidarity, sports a rudderless political leadership and is run by bureaucrats. The text of the interview follows.

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