“Israelis” Occupy Their Stock Exchange, Netanyahu on Political Fire
"Israeli" demonstrators occupied the roof of the "Tel Aviv" stock exchange on Thursday morning, "Israeli" military radio reported, as protests over the high cost of living spread throughout the Zionist Entity.
Protesters scaled the building a day after the powerful "Histadrut" labor union threw its support behind the demonstrators, who have set up tent cities across "Israel" to protest the high cost of housing.
The move puts growing pressure on "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has already been forced to cancel a trip to Poland to address the demonstrators, offering them reforms that they rejected as insufficient.
"Histadrut" said it was issuing Netanyahu with an ultimatum.
"If by Saturday evening, the prime minister has failed to meet with our secretary general Ofer Eini to discuss solutions to lift this social crisis, Histadrut will use all means at our disposal to support the demands of the protesters," a spokeswoman for the union told France Press agency.
The August 1 one-day strike will see local authority offices shut down and rubbish collections halted.
One of the protesters involved in occupying the roof of the Tel Aviv stock exchange told military radio it was a symbolic gesture intended to draw attention to inequalities in "Israeli" society.
"Ten big companies control 80 percent of the stock market and take all the fruits of the growth in the national economy," he said.
Since 2004, "Israel's" economic growth rate has averaged 4.5 percent, while unemployment has fallen to around six percent from close to 11 percent over the same period.
This summer, "Israelis" have been showing their anger over the situation, beginning with a boycott of their much-loved cottage cheese in a successful bid to bring down the rising cost of the food item.
Then, in mid-July, students and other young protesters began pitching tents in the middle of Tel Aviv to protest the high cost of housing, quickly winning supporters and sparking similar tent protests in other "Israeli" cities.
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people rallied in support of the protest in Tel Aviv, and several thousand also protested in Jerusalem.
Alongside the housing protest, "Israel's" doctors are stepping up a long-running strike over pay and conditions, with medics announcing plans for a series of wildcat strikes in public hospitals.
Senior members of the "Israel" Medical Association are marching from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in protest, and plan to arrive on Friday to present Netanyahu with a signed petition.
On Thursday, the 115th day of the strike, "Israeli" opposition Leader Tzipi Livni and Knesset Member Rachel Adatto (Kadima) joined the march.
Livni called on Netanyahu to "start carrying the weight of the burden of a country in crisis."
The former "Israeli" foreign Minister added that "the ostrich trick just doesn't work anymore. PM can't stick his head anymore."
Source: "Israeli" Press
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