THE movement fell short of a million which is disappointing considering tht the whole of israel should be like the palmach armed highly trained and without ranks .

1) Why if someone protests against government policies it must be fueled by foreign money? Aren't enough genuine citizens who are fed up with the current economic policies? 2) What does it mean "get a job" when jobs are so scarce and wages do not keep up with the cost of living, which always goes up, driven by speculation and greed? 3) Unlike other states, Israel demands much more from its citizens. High taxes, army service, miluim… Why people who give so much aren’t entitled to ask for different policies? 4) Ora - since Israel's birth, there was never a good time for protest. But was it time for governments to transform srael into a fierce capitalist country with millions in poverty? Is there room in such a tiny state for so much wealth concentrated in the hands of so few?

Israel gave a big chunk of Israel's land to Arabs. In addition, every Arab citzen of Israel has many children. As a result, there is less land for more people and its price has gone up.

The supreme court interfering and forcing transportation companies to provide transportation? If this doesn't prove that there is some outside foreign government involvement in these protests nothing will. The court system is so corrupt that there needs to be a major overhaul to make sure that politics stay out of the court system and a true check and balance system is set up in Israel. There really needs to be an investigation of who is funding these organizations who is paying for these trains and buses someone is? Buses, Tents, Organization support Want to bet that is not another country paying for this to overthrow the current Israeli government.

My Opinion is that Foreign governments and foreign organizations are undoubtedly involved in these protests to overthrew the Israeli government. It doesn't take a scientist or PhD to figure that out. Now I am not saying that the vast majority of people and that the vast majority of leaders are in collaboration with these organizations and foreign governments but I believe in my opinion the top few leaders of this movement probably are involved. The vast majority of the leaders and people probably don't know because it's honest political idealism to fix the social issues. I support more housing if it does not affect defense and building is allow to occur in Judea and Samaria, and if it does not cause the housing bubble to burst. But I do not support foreign intervention in order to overthrow a democratically elected government. A investigation needs to be done by the media and by the government to look into the funding of these organizations that are doing most of the protesting. These protests are not cheap someone or some foreign entity must be paying for this. Some posters have mentioned who is paying for all these tents. This is my opinion.

These idiotic protests will be our downfall. We need to work hard and increase our defense expenditure, not subsidise these leftists.

It's terribly sad to see how many Jewish Americans writing here feel that they can't be Zionist by caring about Israeli society together with their Israeli brethren. Too much fear, racism and bigotry fuel their love of Israel it seems. For them, Zionism must only be about transferring dollars together with the worst of American values as a package deal. I guess that their American (dream / delusion?) reality is so deeply entrenched that anything resembling a responsible, deomcratic Jewish welfare state is communism to them. It's all black and white - all struggling Israelis are lazy or stupid to them, apparently. Forget about the real Jewish value of Tzedek - apparently only tzadakah works for these Galut talkback Jews. They are blind to the more responsible socio-economic ideas of Europe, because the still see the spectre of communism around every corner. Fortunately, we'll be working hard to make a better society here, one in which we take mutual responsibility for our fellow citizens, despite the Anglo talkbacks being dominated by such fear-driven, anachronistic, conservative criticism.

quashed by the military or police? And that there is ZERO VIOLENCE? The media forgets that Israel is a #democracy.

sorry folks, the system in israel is so entrenched that any so-called social uprising is quite rapidly sucked in. thas the beauty of "democracy" - anyone can get sucked into the system, but nobody can really change it.

Greycoat? Like as in Union soldier who is still crying over the fact that the South lost and y'all can't have darkie slaves no more? Spare us your remote control totally wrong analysis about marxist loonies trying to take over Israel. Not only are you wrong, you're offensive too. There is a social justice problem in Israel. Taxation is way off, the too many top industrialists indeed don't give a damn, the middle class is struggling, the banks are gouging, the government needs electoral reform. We also have to corrupt rabbis who have enslaved the ultra-orthodox with poverty, the Arab leaders who have done the same in their sector, and the Histadrut which can't get its head out of its kiester. But what we DON'T have is 400000 alleged marxists. Sure, there are a few hundred out there, but they ain't the ones I'm worried about. The LAST thing we want is to turn into a loser economy like the United States, where your great-grandchildren will be working off the George Bush's and Barak Obama's debt to their Chinese owners. Your economy is going down the toilet, Greycoat, so you better invest your efforts on your side of the Atlantic.

Why is Charlie Bitton in Israel? I was amazed to see his name in the news story. Apparently old commies never die they just move to Israel and start more trouble.

...clearly is that the marchers-protesters; the great unwashed, want government control of some or all prices, reduction of those prices and legislation for and of social change with a great leveling at the economic socialization expense of...exactly whom? Subsidies must preforce cost someone, some entity, something. Nothing is without a price in this or any other world. TANSTAAFL(There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) What do they want and whom do they want to pay for what they want? Hybrid social/economic government that bureaucratically has control is even worse that what these individuals are calling for. Eventually one runs out of other people's money. What stunning stupidity from so many.

Will the NEW ISRAELI learn to line up at a bus stop and get up to let an older person sit down, will he learn to wait his turn at the check out instead of putting an empty basket and saying that he was there. Will he learn not to throw rubbish on the ground or not to throw it out of his window into the garden below, and stop leaving his empty cans of caffeinated drinks on the ground. Will he learn to have manners and tolerance towards others. Will the new Israeli get along with each other whether black or white, Sephardic or Ashkenazi, gay, religious or secular. When the new Israeli can do that then may be there can be Justice.

One only understands the Isralies problems, if one has lived there. Young people cannot afford to buy/rent house or flats. Taxes are so high, one can hardly afford to own/drive a car.Food is expensive. The social gap grows daily between he haves and have not. Time for some real change. Give people a chance to live in dignity.

Permit me to be more blunt than you. These demonstrators ARE our enemies.

100%

400,000 people went out to protest the conduct of the Lebanon war in 1982.

I was there. No violence. Friendly carnaval. All types there. This movement is real.

If the good Doctor, sitting in America, has any facts to share with us, let him do so. But he just insinuates, which is what cowards usually do

With your actions, you can become not just NEW but LAST Israelis. This country's existence will be over if the lumpens like you can dictate their demands to the people of Israel.

Most of whom are Americans spouting their version of what is right and what is wrong........ This movement is NOT about kids wanting something for nothing. Just to suggest that is extremely offensive. This is about kids starting up in adult life, having served their country for 3 years and studied for their bachelors degrees and they still end up in low-wage jobs of about 4000 shekels a month. They want to buy apartments - yes, poxy little apartments, not houses - but even those cost around 1.5 million shekels. Do the maths - that's 33 YEARS of wages. But they can't even get mortgages because they have to deposit 30% to start off with. This situation is ridiculous and untenable. Meanwhile they are exploited by landlords who themselves bought those rental apartments back in the 80s by unindexed mortgages and the hyperinflation cancelled out their debts so they effectively got the apartments for next to NOTHING. Add to all this the high cost of living in this country and you start to get the picture. The BBC - yes the BBC - sent a reporter to the demonstration yesterday and he himself said on air "as a foreigner here I can certainly attest to the fact that the cost of living is extremely high". So are you now starting to understand a little, all you doubters and pourers of scorn on an important social movement? Those of you who are not here - well come and see for yourselves. Work for 4000 shekels a month and see where that gets you.

This protest as real as you. You said it was carnaval? For who's expence they maid this "carnaval"? Who paing for everything? Maybe poor taxpayers, who need to work to afford leaving in this country, when goverment workers could have "carnaval" every Saturday? And they are crying they didn't have money to pay their bills? Maybe they should take the money they spend on this "carnavals" and not demand free things from the govermant. The more they demonstrate the better their ugly face would be seen.

400 THOUSAND IS THE POLICE ESTIMATE and even if it is less its still shows that something has changed in Israel These are demonstrations by people wno work and support parties on the left , center and likud (the settlers from Yosh and the Charedim don't need to join because they get there "extras" through their parties in the Knesset) Who pays to support almost one hundred thousand able bodied men who don"t work and instead sit and learn Torah all day ? (At the demonstration in which I participated, all the people I knew there work).

TO ALL THE CRITICS OF THE SOCIAL AWAKENING IN ISRAEL You should all read # 37 over and over again until you get the message

To all the critics of the SOCIAL AWAKENING in Israel. Read #37 Again and again until you get the message !!

No goal, other than "we want to live in Rotschild Avenue, own a car, not pay Arnona, sleep till 11 every morning"

Dollars to donuts they will hightail it back home because. 1) They are boorish slobs with attitude. 2) Lazy aloof dimwits with chutzpah 3) They have got a work attitude worth a damn. Here in Canada America, protexia is worth nothing...Its what you can be for me today that counts. So please cut the BS and get on with life. Get to work, save a nickel and shut your whiny pieholes. You are surrounded by killers. Where the hell were all you sons of bitches when the south was being pounded a couple of weeks ago? Were you in the bars crying in your wine? The point is you are a bunch of selfish little whiny shits who really are stuck on stupid. Yes its expensive to live ...well you know what... so is dying.

for demonstrating, as they would have if they were demonstraing in one, any one, of our neighboring countries That's the difference between them and us

to finance months of travel abroad to India or South America after their IDF service. How about the high school field trips to Poland? Maybe if they saved their money instead of blowing it on these expensive trips, they might actually be able to buy an apartment. My relatives in Tel Aviv vacation in Europe every year in addition to frequent weekends around Israel. Meanwhile, the cost of living is so high in Los Angeles, people are having garage sales every weekend to pay the bills. Right now it's Labor Day weekend and I've never seen so many young people staying home and having friends over for drinks instead of going away for the weekend. Things are a lot worse here in the States, but you don't see us out in the streets kvetching about it. We put our energies into planning how to defeat our economy-killing president at next year's election.