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Israelis block road to parliament in housing shortage protest

Israel Materials 25 July 2011 15:39 (UTC +04:00)
Dozens of demonstrators briefly blocked access to Israel's parliament in Jerusalem on Monday in protest at the rising cost of housing.
Israelis block road to parliament in housing shortage protest

Dozens of demonstrators briefly blocked access to Israel's parliament in Jerusalem on Monday in protest at the rising cost of housing, dpa reported.

They placed cinder blocks on the road and chanted "the people demand social justice."

Five demonstrators were arrested for "creating a disturbance," a police spokesman told the German Press Agency dpa, and one policeman was injured.

Monday's protest followed mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv on Saturday night and Jerusalem on Sunday night.

Thousands of Israelis have over the past 10 days set up tent camps in at least 15 towns and cities throughout Israel, to protest housing prices, which have risen by more than 60 per cent over the past four years.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet Sunday that "the distress is real. Young couples have nowhere to live because apartments are too expensive."

He said his government was trying to ease bureaucratic obstacles that had slowed down building in the past.

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