Never underestimate the power of people to stand up and make a difference in their society.
This message, which was carried around the streets of Cairo, Benghazi and Algiers, has found an echo in tens of thousands of young Israelis in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva. What began as a spontaneous Facebook group protesting the high cost of housing in Israel soon materialised into improvised tent compounds at the heart of Israeli cities. This weekend, approximately 300,000 Israelis joined mass rallies demanding greater social justice and equality.
It is hard to overestimate the events sweeping across Israel. For decades, Israeli politics were dominated by security concerns and the search for Israeli-Arab peace. These were also the traditional fault lines that separated the dovish left wing from the more security-orientated right. Yet almost overnight, Israelis have created a public agenda that challenges the old political logic. The burden of daily life affects Israelis from all walks of life. Individuals from a wide range of social and political backgrounds have united around simple hopes for affordable healthcare, education and housing.
It has often been claimed that as long as the security situation was stable, Israelis were content. Despite the global economic downturn, Israel's economy has continued to grow and unemployment rates have remained low. But behind the optimistic numbers, middle class Israelis have been feeling the pinch of soaring living costs that far exceed average salaries. Ironically, it was exactly the increased sense of personal security that enabled people to raise their heads above the parapet. Security is paramount, but it is clearly not enough.
It would be a mistake to understand the popular protests in Israel only through a narrow socio-economic prism. Important as it may be, this is not just a struggle over the price of food, housing and services. Those marching last weekend in Israel were asking for more than economic reforms. They were seeking to reassert a sense of shared ownership over Israel's future, to resurrect the ideals on which Israeli society was founded - a high degree of social equality, affordable healthcare and public education, and perhaps most importantly, broad public involvement in political life.
Sceptics may well argue that it is only a matter of time until cracks begin to show in the coalition of groups and organisations behind the protest. Although they have garnered wide popular backing - with 87% of Israelis supporting the demonstrators, according to one poll - the decentralised nature of the movement means that its demands remain somewhat disparate. Furthermore, the leaders of the protests are mostly women and men in their 20s and 30s with no real experience in political manoeuvring.
But so far, the Israeli social protestors have used this ambiguity to their advantage. Their power lies in their ability to transcend familiar divisions that have dominated Israeli society and politics for decades. The goals of the protest leaders may be ambiguous, but they have nonetheless given a voice to the broad majority of Israelis who are no longer confined to traditional party lines and left-right dichotomies.
I visited Cairo last week for a series of meetings with officials and opinion formers. Although Egypt is seen as the symbol of the Arab Spring, the initial euphoria that swept the country is gradually making way to a more sobering reality of deep structural challenges and an uncertain political future. But the deepest impact of the 'Egyptian Spring' is felt in less expected places like newly-formed neighbourhood committees where residents work together to improve living conditions and public services. This is not just about the removal of garbage and steady water supply, but a sense of civic involvement and shared responsibility. There is a world of difference between Israel's vibrant and long sustained democracy and the military regime in Egypt, but nonetheless, many Israelis would identify with such aspirations.
Despite its uncertain future, the Arab Spring has given us all a shot in the arm. A lot will be required of us in the months and years ahead to ensure that the momentum does not wane. But when we see echoes of Tahrir even in Israel, who knows where next? The sight of people empowering themselves provides an energy, a spring in our step, a realisation that we too can act, to rediscover how great personal agency is. It makes us healthier as individuals and as a society. It is a timely reminder of what is required to maintain the health of our own democracy in Britain.
Although their outcome remains highly uncertain, the protests taking place in Israel are a sign of political maturity. Security threats will certainly remain high on Israel's agenda, as will the search for a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and the Palestinians. But if the protests of the summer of 2011 are to have a lasting impact, Israel may see the rise of new political forces and a civil society that has regained a role at the country's helm.