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Photo: Gil Yohanan

Protesters: We'll besiege Knesset

Affordable housing protest activists say they will physically try to stop House from voting on national housing committees' bill by blocking all entrances

Dozens of affordable housing protest activists rallied outside the Knesset Wednesday ahead of a planned vote on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national housing committees' (NHCs) bill.

 

Netanyahu hopes such committees will help solve the affordable housing crisis, but the leaders of the housing protest have voiced fierce objection to the move.

 

 

The affordable housing movement has vowed to escalate its protest measures should the bill, which they have slammed as "manipulative," mature into a law.

 

Protesters are threatening to block all of the entrances to the Knesset building in an attempt to stop the House from voting on the bill, saying they will "siege" the Knesset if they have to.

 

"The national housing committees' bill is the symptom to what Bibi doesn’t understand," activist Shlomo Levy told Ynet. "He doesn’t understand that the goal is affordable housing. He's in-love with the idea of competition, of marketing land quickly, but it takes four-five years to build an average building and the bill has no answer for that."

 

The protesters brought sandbags with them, which they intend to use to block the building's entrances with.

 

Jerusalem Police forces were called to the scene and have detained four protesters for questioning.

 

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators began blocking off intersections across Israel in a massive protest against the national housing committees bill. Some 100 people blocked off a street near Habima Square in Tel Aviv using tents, chairs and mattresses, after which the began marching towards Ibn Gabirol Street.

 

Dozens of students blocked off a main road in Beersheba, as nearly 70 other students from Tel Hai College obstructed traffic along Route 90 near Kiryat Shmona. Protesters also stood along Route 2 near Beit Yanai carrying signs saying: "Cake for all or no cake at all" and "I have a sign, but no apartment."

 

The housing protesters announced they will hold another mass rally on Saturday to demonstrate against the national housing committees bill.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 08.03.11, 09:40
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