The Worker’s Committee of Israel Chemicals (ICL) attempted to transform their struggle to prevent 140 layoffs into a mass struggle of all Negev residents. They succeeded only partially. True, the southern town of Dimona (home to many ICL workers) came to a halt the morning of May 17 and a demonstration was held. But only about 1,500 people attended the rally, most of whom were ICL’s organized employees and their families. These were reinforced by the appearance of dozens of politicians from the opposition. including all the members of the Zionist Camp, Knesset members of Yisrael Beitenu (except for party Chairman Avigdor Liberman) and the Meretz Knesset members.
Politicians streamed in to the Negev and there was broad media coverage of the strike, which included live broadcasts of TV stations, open studios that were erected in Dimona and newspaper headlines. All these attempted to create the perception of an authentic mass protest. The fact that the protest took place so soon after the March 17 elections and the May 14 swearing-in of the new government all contributed to the atmosphere of urgency.
Thus, for example, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog (who is also chairman of the opposition) delivered a combative speech at the demonstration. He associated the bleak situation of the city’s residents to the fact that most of the inhabitants had voted for the Likud Party in the recent elections. “We’re not in an election campaign now, and I know that many of you did not vote for me," Herzog said. "You voted Likud because you have been Likudniks since the days of [Prime Minister Menachem] Begin, who had been a great man and a great social leader. I am chairman of the opposition and I intend to fight for you and with you for social justice and so that you may live dignified lives — exactly as Begin would have done.”
Thus, Herzog tried to emphasize this contradiction, where most of the residents of the south voted for the Likud, despite the governments headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignoring this community. As an extension to this, Armand Lankri (chairman of the Dead Sea Works Workers Committee, an ICL subsidiary, and also chairman of Dimona’s Likud branch) announced that he will act on his threat and leave the Likud.
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