...

Over 300,000 Israelis march in protest against rising living costs

Israel Materials 7 August 2011 08:26 (UTC +04:00)
More than 300,000 Israelis took to the streets across the country on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living, local media reports said.
Over 300,000 Israelis march in protest against rising living costs

More than 300,000 Israelis took to the streets across the country on Saturday to protest against the rising cost of living, local media reports said.

About 300,000 people marched in Tel Aviv and some 20,000 in Jerusalem, the Haaretz newspaper said, quoting police estimates, RIA Novosti reported.

Smaller demonstrations took place in other Israeli cities and towns, including Modi'in, some 30 km (18 miles) from Jerusalem, where 5,000 marched, and Kiryat Shmona at the border with Lebanon, where 3,000 participated, the paper said.

Israeli officials accused the media of inflating the numbers of participants in the demonstrations, the report said.

Protesters in Tel Aviv were reported to have been chanting "The people demand social justice" and "An entire generation demands a future." A number of placards hung on the city's central Kaplan Street read "Resign, Egypt is here."

Several major roads in the city center were blocked during the demonstration.

The protests were significantly larger than last Saturday's rallies that gathered between 150,000 and 200,000 people, the Jerusalem post said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to appoint a team of ministers on Sunday to negotiate protesters' demands, which include lowering the high cost of housing and food.

Latest

Latest