Friday, August 5, 2011

Israel braces for Saturday demos

Israelis are planning to stage massive protests against Tel Aviv's housing and economic policies over the weekend, the organizers have announced.



The organizers say they hope the demonstrations will bring over 200,000 people onto the streets on Saturday, The Jerusalem Post reported on Friday.

On Wednesday and Thursday, hundreds of people protested against the parliament's approval of a new housing bill, saying the new law will not resolve the housing crisis in Israel.

The demonstrations were held in the cities of al-Quds (Jerusalem), Tel Aviv, Kiryat Shmona, Beersheba, and Haifa, with angry protesters blocking a total of 10 major junctions across Israel.

The protesters said that the new law will only favor the rich by encouraging big developers to build luxury projects rather than affordable housing.

They have also called for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli protesters are calling for measures to curb the high cost of living, which has jumped by 50 percent in recent years.

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