Israeli protests gaining support

[bemildred]

FACING his most serious domestic challenge since he took office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that members of his government would meet protesters, after tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to demonstrate against the high cost of living.

Two weeks of grass-roots economic protests have put pressure on Mr Netanyahu to address demands for greater state involvement to remedy gaps between rich and poor and complaints by many middle-class Israelis that living costs are outstripping their salaries.

Protests over housing, which began with a tent camp in Tel Aviv, have spawned similar encampments in other cities. Weekend demonstrations were the largest since the start of the protest wave, which was inspired partly by anti-government uprisings in neighbouring Arab countries.
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Police estimated that more than 100,000 people demonstrated in 10 cities across Israel.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/israeli-protests-gaining-support-20110801-1i85e.html