Tel Aviv tent city erected in protest against high house prices

Israelis complain they are being forced to move to the suburbs as the prime minister promises to look into the rent crisis Dozens of protest tents have been erected in Tel Aviv, with plans for further encampments in other Israeli towns and cities. But the nascent protest movement is not about democracy or dictators – but house prices. In an echo of the tactics of pro-democracy protesters in the region, students and young workers in Israel’s main city have pledged to remain in the protest tents until action has been taken to address the issue of high housing costs. Hundreds of supporters joined the core of tent-dwellers in Rothschild Avenue, one of the city’s most prosperous streets, over the weekend. The National Students’ Union, which joined the protest after it began, said it would pitch further protest camps in universities and colleges around the country. Protesters told the Israeli media that rents were too high and that the cost of buying homes was prohibitive. “I work as a waitress and study, I receive regular help from my parents, and I’m still overdrawn at the bank,” 26-year-old student Lior Birger told Yedioth Ahranoth. Her rent was 2,300 shekels (£416) a month. Nir Ginosar, 35, said he, his wife and child were forced to leave Tel Aviv for cheaper housing in the suburbs. “Both I and my wife work and earn a decent living, but without help from our parents we’ll never get to buy a home. Our struggle is for working folks who simply can’t make ends meet.” The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, promised Sunday’s cabinet meeting that the government would address the protesters’ concerns. “I am aware of the rent crisis,” he said. “I am certainly aware of the housing crisis … We are a small country. We have a very large demand for apartments, both for purchase and for rental, and there are not enough apartments.” He said the government would tackle the “insane bureaucracies” that were to blame for the dearth of new construction. Demand for housing is high in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other main cities where most employment is concentrated. The shortage of property is exacerbated by a large number of homes owned by American and European Jews who visit Israel two or three times a year. In some areas, the burgeoning ultra-orthodox community has added to the pressure on housing stock. Ultra-orthodox families are large; having eight or nine children is not uncommon. The Israeli authorities say there is plenty of available housing outside the main cities, and financial incentives are offered to those willing to relocate. Housing minister Ariel Attias told Ma’ariv newspaper: “These people sitting in tents here in Tel Aviv don’t want to live in the periphery. The fact of the matter is that there is only a shortage in areas of high demand. Another fact is that there are plenty of apartments available at much lower prices [outside Tel Aviv]. The world does not begin and end in Tel Aviv.” The city authorities said they would permit the protest tents to remain as long as demonstrators maintained public order. Israel Protest House prices Binyamin Netanyahu Middle East Harriet Sherwood guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.