Demand Tel-Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai stop actions against the homeless in OccupyTLV camp!

We the undersigned, join celebrated author Sami Michael and the Israeli Association for Civil Rights, calling upon you to delay any actions against the homeless in the OccupyTLV camp, and to expand the area, now being walled, which unreasonably restricts the ability to accommodate all the people already living in the camp.

The city should provide some living options also for the poor and the homeless, not only for the rich!

OccupyTLV, October 4 - request has been forwarded to Tel-Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, for reconsideration of actions against the homeless in the OccupyTLV camp, scheduled to start October 19, 2014!

The letter joins the calls by celebrated author Sami Michael and the Israeli Association for Civil Rights for delaying any actions against the homeless in the park, and for expanding the area, now being walled, which drastically restricts the part of the park, where the homeless live.

The Israeli Civil Rights Association also launched a Hebrew petition site. [2]

The letter to Mayor Ron Huldai also notes that current actions by the Tel-Aviv municipality against the poor and the homeless are inconsistent with its ongoing, costly campaigns to "brand" itself as a friendly, hospitable, international party city...

The camp was established in November 2012, based on an agreement between the Tel-Aviv municipality and the Israeli Social Protest movement.

In the two years since then, the camp has become the only place in the Greater Tel-Aviv area, where the homeless can sleep safely and build a tent.

Today's letter by Joseph Zernik, PhD, of Human Rights Alert (NGO), notes that actions of the municipality are arbitrary and capricious and are likely to create even less reasonable living conditions for those of the underprivileged persons who stay.

Others, will be driven from the only shelter available to them in Tel-Aviv, unreasonable as it is, to the streets, where they would create unnecessary disturbance for other city residents and would likely face daily confrontations with municipality enforcement personnel.

Over the last couple of decades, due to government policies, poverty and homelessness in Israel have escalated, while the economy has been growing, and public housing has been practically eliminated. According to OECD reports, the State of Israel is today distinguished as the developed nation with the highest levels of poverty!

The letter requests:

a) Extension of the time before any action;

b) Expansion of the unreasonably restricted walled area, and

c) Decent conduct by the authorities.

A copy of the letter is posted online. [1] Copies have been forwarded to Israeli Association for Civil Rights, activists, City Council, Members of Knesset.

____

[1] 2014-10-04 Request, forwarded to Tel-Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, for reconsideration of actions against the homeless in the OccupyTLV camp

[2] 2014-10-01 Israeli Association for Civil Rights' Hebrew online petition site: "Delay the eviction, move the wall"

Petition Ending Date was Reached on December 31, 2014

The compiled petition with signatures is presented to the petition recipients on the ending date.