A little after one o'clock in the afternoon, while I was standing at the Bakery branch in north Tel Aviv, waiting patiently for the 1+1 bread deals, the strongman at Ichilov Hospital, Roni Gamzu, stood behind me. He explained in a disappointed voice to the other side on the line that there was nothing left in the breads. Neither of us knew that at that moment in the south of the city, groups of Eritreans were rioting in front of the Bakery branch in south Tel Aviv, and not because they had run out of spelt rolls.
An hour later, he was presiding over an event of a magnitude not remembered by the city's residents since the Tel Aviv terror attacks in the 90s. The only difference is that in the attacks the sirens of ambulances whistle in the streets far and wide, here the wounded arrived quietly, bleeding along Weizmann Street and the hospital.
Clashes in south Tel Aviv, photo: AP
Tel Aviv hasn't felt governed for a long time. It's not just the attacks that have become routine, it's not just the incessant violence in south Tel Aviv, it's mainly personal security. This writer stole two bicycles and broke into a car once in the past year. And we are in September. There is nothing to complain about and I have no one to complain to. No one will do anything with our complaint. Many areas of Tel Aviv are abandoned to criminals, second-class criminals and rising violence. It doesn't matter what area of the city.
A report published in Israel Hayom last week already reported that central Tel Aviv is the most violent area, but this is just a dry statistic. The situation is no better in the north of the city and certainly not in the south. The Tel Aviv police are apparently doing everything they can, but their ability is not enough. There really is no police force in Tel Aviv, and remind you that in the last terror attack, in which a greater disaster was averted, it was the patrols of the Tel Aviv municipality who paid with their lives.
Riots in Tel Aviv: Ichilov CEO Roni Gamzu updates on the condition of the wounded
Eritreans are a major part of the Israeli food industry, especially Tel Aviv. There are no restaurants in Tel Aviv that are not dependent on Eritreans. An entire industry that needs to have its dishes cleaned, the floors polished, the onions, and the bikes in any weather and at all hours of the day to bring food to all parts of the city.
Anyone who is stupid enough to think that they can be eliminated in one day doesn't understand, of course, what he's talking about. They are already an integral part of the city non-stop. They have become household members in many businesses, and the vast majority are trying to survive their daily lives as third-class citizens. Their dependence on us is great, but it also works the other way around in many cases.
Part of the fabric of the city (illustrative), photo: Coco
If the current right-wing politicians had anything to offer other than tweets, they would have taken advantage of last night's riots in Tel Aviv to put forward a worthy right-wing candidate to fight Ron Huldai, who earlier this week, with the addition of Assaf Zamir, seemed to be cruising to another victory easily without opponents or in this case worthy opponents. The atmosphere in south Tel Aviv is quite hot, and a leader who offers an alternative to the refugee problem could give Huldai a fight. The problem is that all there is to offer the Likud in south Tel Aviv is May Golan.
It is not too late for the right-wing bloc to present an alternative in a city that traditionally elects the left for mayor in municipal elections. The thing is that Tel Aviv is perceived in many right-wing circles as a "different country," one that is conceded in advance to the left. Isn't it worth trying?
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