is 200% right. "It's unthinkable that Israelis have to pay their mortgages till the age of 60 & that young couple save money for 10 years & still cant afford an apartment & that students & young adults spend half their pay cheques on rent." Activists on the right or on the left, have my full support. Our Government needs to care for its citizens, even the not so rich deserve adequate housing at minimal cost.

These kids must understand simple economy. TLV is small, with very little supply compared to the demand.The government cant do anything. So....if you are a student and u cant afford center of TLV, or your parents cant pay for it, move ot another place. Why dont you put those tents in Ramat Gan? Anyway...who want to pay 5000NIS for an ugly, old, elevator-less building.

I hear lots of complaints, no shortage of kvetching in Israel, that's for sure. But where are objective, professional, economic analyses on the subject? Without accurate analysis, the whole discussion degenerates into demagoguery. I'm relatively new to Israel, I cannot speak as an expert on the real estate market. I do know that I overpay for rent. Do I blame my landlord? No, she's a nice lady & this is her business, she rents a lot of appartments, my rent is in line with other rents in this area. But, something is obviously wrong here. The answer is not simply a matter of supply & demand. If this was a supply & demand situation, supply would rise to meet demand & prices would stabilize. Thus, other factors are in play. Is supply artificially limited & how? Maybe salaries are too low (actually, it's not a maybe)? If so, what factors make average salaries too low? Does too much gov't. regulation increase costs? Perhaps rents or appartment prices only seem high because everything else is too expensive. What factors make investing in real estate more attractive than opening a business? It makes no sense to bitch & moan, to kvetch like spoiled children, ''oh Gov't. come and help us.'' if you have no understanding of underlying causes. It is obvious, also, that some would like to use this issue to further a political agenda & have no good solutions either or worse, just populist BS that will make things worse.

The israeli goverment in 2007should have put tax penaltys on foriegn housing purchase ie put taxes on second homes and limits,i remember back in 2006 in london nothing but adverts from israeli property agents informing of the great investment in Israel.

How can government support the students who wants to study in univercity and then work and improve the economy of this country? Governemnt is too busy and preoccupied in helping yashiva students! They don't have any penny left to support these students!

Hey John, we're not only talking about Tel Aviv. It's country wide. Why is rental so expensive? Because the purchase price is exhorbitant.Why? the government does not release land in sufficient quantities and in reasonable time. In this area the Israel Lands Authority is stronger than the government and its beauracracy equals that of a 4th world country. For years no government has been able to govern this authority. Time for Bibi with his super manjority to stand up and do something and not just put out slogans and pass time until the next elections. It is in his hands.

Housing that they want will take years to build. There are plenty of apartments being built outside of the major cities. But the more people demand rentals or new apartments there is no need to lower prices as it is a shortage market. Buy in Modi'in or Petach Tikva at half the price and commute to Tel Aviv - but Israelis don't like long commutes...

You forget that we are coming out of a world wide rescission in terms of development and construction. New construction can take more than 3 years from approval to completion, heck in most of the new tall buildings it is more than 2 years from digging the hole until people can occupy the building. In the center there is a lot of development in the suburbs of Tel Aviv - look at Petach Tikva, Kirat Ono, and Ganei Tikva these areas are have been putting in more than 20,000 new apartments alone in the past 3 years that are about half finished. Modi'in is building as fast as they can get work crews. Near Beer Sheva they have extended the area for kilometers with new homes and apartments to the north of the city and swinging around it. In the north the area around Zikhron Ya'akov is building. It is not a current shortage of the government, if anything it was the previous government's delays that are affecting the current market.

Most people can't afford where they wish to live so you compromise and move to a place that is affordable. You guys all want to live in German Colony, Jerusalem or on Rothchild in Tel Aviv. Too bad!! This is so rediculus! I guess you guys have nothing else to do with your life!

Real estate is always the first thing to bring down a nation if it is not controlled. Look at the US: dumb as a rock! Let the whole country go to the crapper because the banks were in bed with real estate orgs! At LEAST 75% of all housing in a nation should be government regulated: if not, ALL other markets (aside from the banks) will suffer. No more than 20% of a single head of household with an "average" salary should be spent on Mortgage or rent. There is NO house worth more than that, unless it falls into an extravagant category which is where the 'other' 25% of the 'open' market comes in. Let's face it: the percentage of rich people is always very small in any given country: if they want a big house, they can pay big money for it...they can afford to: the rest of the VAST MAJORITY CANNOT! And all other businesses deserve a higher percentage of the pie than the MONOPOLY that real estate has on peoples expenditures. I say take the crooks DOWN: Israel is NOT a capitalist economy: it is a regulated, mixed economy and the housing prices should reflect that! Not everyone is going to be rich: it's idiotic to have the prices as they are in Israel (or the US for that matter). I DISPISE the real estate markets: the worlds biggest thieves run them!!! The Protesters should pitch tents in front of the "landlords" houses as well! And all of the real estate agents homes and GIVE THEM HELL! Shelter is a NED, NOT a privilege!!!

getting nervous that your party will soon be over - getting 2% from each side for a 45 sqm apt sold at $400,000. The prices have shot up everywhere. They are absolutely ridiculous in the popular areas but they are also very expensive everywhere else. If there's not going to be more building for whatever the reason, the govt has to at least control the prices. Now it's a free for all for all the sellers. This has got to stop.

If they studied a bit more, maybe building science or government management, they could sort out the problem. In the mean time the gov is paying for them to study while they mess around.

Studying a bit more will not put a roof over their heads now!

well said.

that the government is doing ALOT to try and calm down the sales market. Israel has become a victim of its own success, especially Tel Aviv which has become a beacon of coolness in the middle east with tourism smashing records, not seen since back in the 90s. Its also making up for many years of repressed prices during the 90s for example when Hamas bombs were exploding regularly, very few were willing to invest in property. Since the 00s when the 2nd Int. calmed down and ended, security has become better, wars less and Israel's high tech become almost a world leader. Thus, this new era of wealth in Israel, ultimately controlled by the elite. In light of the above, Tel Aviv has become far wealthier and far more in demand. Whilst property prices went through the roof, those wanting to buy but couldn't decided to rent. Thus the rental market too is forced into orbit. The government is actually doing a lot to help calm things down for example; 1. Brought in legislation to remove capital gains for sellers thus more property coming on the market. The sale of property has thus calmed considerably over the past month. 2. Brought in legislation aimed at flipping commercial buildings into residential use, again thus creating more properties on the market aimed at cooling it. Bottom line though, its a small country and Tel Aviv is a tiny city. People have to live somewhere! Those students that want to live in the "heart of the city" I'm afraid that you're going to have to move a bit further out and accept that the days of yesteryear / intifada are gone. Time to create a Williamsburg in downtown Rishon.

Find an apt for my kids in any decent section of Jlem where they work AND study that costs less than 1 million shekels. Nada! Katamon, 4th floor walk up, 1 million!!! Nothing in the outside areas either and will you pay their travel expenses. Easy for you to talk. Bet you live in Rehavia near Bibi. Good luck tenters!!!! More power to you.

Well...so lets go together to Caesarea, Kfar Shmaryau, Savion and put tents....it is so expensive that we cant live here. Students cant buy. Some employees or businessmen cant buy, BUT some CAN, so if someone can afford TLV its for them. The thing has to be like this: House in israel u can buy,,,in TLV more difficult. You can get a simple car...but you will strike on a bycicle because u cant afford an AUDI/BMW/Mercedes or wahtever? DONT THINK SO...better, go to work, and make money!

The strength of the TAW is now on display. No more will they put up with people controling their own lives and spending their own monies when there atr TAWs doing without; sitting in hot and stinky tentage, bathless and eschewing deodorants. Disgusting. The TAW will not put up with it. They will bring thism facisti government down, Down, DOWN. TAW? Oh, I thought you knew. Sorry. TEL AVIV WANKERS.