Israeli protests over rising costs of living enter fourth week

[News_Editor]

Israeli protests over rising costs of living enter fourth week

2011-08-11 06:08:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

JERUSALEM (BNO NEWS) -- Protests against the rising costs of living in Israel continued in several cities across the country on Wednesday as the housing protest movement enters its four week.

Protesters in the city of Holon near Tel Aviv burned tires and blocked roads after city inspectors ordered them to dismantle their tent compound within 24 hours. Most of the people occupying the tents are homeless, according to the Haaretz newspaper.

Approximately 250 people marched in Jerusalem to protest against the state of public transportation in the city, while the Arab community joined the nationwide protests in the northern city of Haifa for the first time. At least 200 protesters from the Wadi Nisnas neighborhood marched chanting the usual slogan – "the people want social justice" – but in Arabic.

This was the first protest organized by Haifa's Arab community, which constitutes ten percent of the city's population. The first rally involving both Jews and Arabs since the beginning of the protests took place in central Nazareth last week.

Raja Za'atra, who organized Wadi Nisnas's tent city, said the protest also seeks to highlight the specific problems facing the Arab sector. "The banks won't give mortgages to people who want to buy an apartment," he told Haaretz. "In the case of the Arab population, the supply is limited and the prices keep rising."

Protests also took place in the southern city of Be'er Sheva and other parts of the country. In addition, activists in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa also protested against unfair employment conditions. More protests are scheduled to take place across Israel on Thursday and Saturday.

Hundreds of thousands protested on Saturday night against surging real-estate prices and the housing shortage in the country as thousands of Israelis continue to sleep in tent camps across the country since mid July.

The Israeli parliament on August 3 passed a controversial housing bill aimed at resolving the country's current housing shortage, despite the objection of activists. The bill, which was passed by a vote of 57 to 45, will slash red tape for construction by setting up national committees to approve new housing projects.

The chairman of the National Students Union, Itzik Shmuli, said that all groups in the housing campaign opposed the government's approval of the housing law, which "defied the public and choked the chance for trust and dialogue," he said.

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