Be careful what you wish for. Think Egypt.

Israel is different from America in many many ways (thankfully!!) not just the price of gas. If you expect everything in Israel to be like in America, stay living in America.

Telling everyone not to have children and deal with it. Its your fault for having kids. It is also your fault that the prices are double that of all other countries in the wolrd because the fat cats of Israel want to drain back evey dime they had to pay you on your wages. Go away Rachel

Get off your high horse spewing your crap. We do work we are all the working poor here in Israel. We have no feelings of entitlement but we do have feelings of being working slaves with low wages and high prices fixed by the elite of Israel and the banks. Pay back time. WE WILL NOT STOP

He does not leave work till 7:30 He such a hard working hightech person. Give us a break man. Social freedom is waht we want and fair prices.

First, there is no such thing as a middle class without a upper and lower class. Second, why should some lazy individual be part of the same group a brilliant or hardworking individual is in? because you say so? I studied my ass off in school and work hard on my career and family in order to get ahead. I appreciate the opportunity to move ahead based on my own grit and determination. So why shouldn't I do better in life than someone who doesn't exhibit those qualities? The world is a multi-faceted place. I live in a thriving democracy where I have a chance to grow. And there are domestic day care centers that provide everything for citizens and leave no room to grow nor provide a stimulus to advance based on personal qualities - and you can go live there. That's called equality, no?

then it was about the high price of diapers, then housing, then child care, and finally will demand a 4 hour work week with full benefits. Holland has a policy that allows people to take off of work for 6 months to pursue hobbies if they are deemed to stressed in their life. And they're broke because of it. That's where Meretz wants to take us.

From the article, it gave the impression that parents wanted free daycare for years, bigger payments per child from the govt, and subsidized child products. Only three months of child care? I don't understand what 3 months will get them but that's not a lot. As the govt, I would treat it like healthcare. Make it a social benefit, negotiate a lower rate with the gans, and hand out vouchers to new parents. However, let's speak again about economics. If the schools feel the revenue pinch won't they just place the burden on teachers which in turn will affect someone else's life or the welfare of the child if they begin to hire crappy teachers? Tax-deductible nanny cost. Very reasonable - the US allows this in order to help families re-enter the workforce and become a benefit again to society. Having a child shouldn't be a privilege, especially in Israel where demographics are important. Rather, per your argument on affording children, what should happen is a reduction of child benefit payments and a cap at 3 kids. The biggest screaming will come from Arabs and Haradim.

protesters are all either filthy rich or settlers who's lives are super easy with all the help they are recieving from the government . which are all by the way voters for bibi

I also work hard, just like the rest in Israel. But I'm smart enough to know that the price of diapers isn't the fault of the ruling govt. You sound like a 1930s socialist. Everyone who owns a business is suddenly an evil miser who taking advantage of you. Get over yourself. You have no idea how much it takes to run a business and the added expenses they incur to cover YOUR social benefits locked in by the Unions years ago. Addressing the banks is a very good start. They squeeze shekels out of people simply for breathing. Same with mortgages which are impossible to get these days. And also with import taxes which are just cash cows because we have no domestic home appliance or auto industry to protect. However, high gas prices and high auto prices are a method used by nations to curb the amount of autos on the road. It hasn't worked in Israel. But, the govt did allow companies to provide cars and gas to employees thus getting a write-off on taxes and being able to take the burden off the average person regarding car ownership. See how complicated it all is? And yet you still squeal about your own little world of discontent.

I am no one special. I am very representative of the Israeli middle class, you dunder head. Social freedom. What do you want exactly? Free everything from a govt that is mis-managed, only collects partial taxes from certain populations, and is working to keep you safe from murderers across the border? Fair prices. What do you consider fair? I consider whatever the market will bear to be "fair prices". if I don't like the price, I DO NOT buy. Try it some time. Our little location and lack of free trade in the region truly affects our prices, including the fact that we're too small to make demands on cutting prices from overseas vendors. That's a fact. Perhaps you wanted cheaper gas, like Libya or Venezuela has. Israel pays about $8.33 for a gallon, Holland pays $9,54/gal, Norway $9.84/gal, Sweden $8.71/gal, France $8.63/gal, Finland $8.61/gal, Denmark $8.93/gal...and many others which fall just a bit less. Share with us what your demands are.

A lot of women chose to be "stay-at-home" mothers, because it was too expensive to work. A car costs a lot of money, daycare is exorbitant, and then there is dressing, gas, etc. But babies today are who will lead the world tomorrow. It is worth the government's while to make sure they are well taken care of.

how is life in myopia land?

until I saw that Bibi and the rest of the Coalition were offering help and the protesters were refusing it. Now that Livni has joined them we now know who's right and who's wrong. These dumb leftists want something for nothing. Why live in Tel Aviv when they can get there from Zichron Yakov in 50 or so minutes? There's nothing wrong with cities like Gedera or Hedera or Kfar Yona. They can get over the high prices and move somewhere they can afford to go to...

You're right about the bias of the protesters. Unfortunately, it's a real cause that needs to be addressed and the Left has hijacked it before it became a cause. I have to say, on behalf of young people, any place other than Tel Aviv is boring. In my single days, I lived in a tiny flat in Hertzilya, near my work. My social life was horrible. Nothing to really do there. Then I moved to Tel Aviv. Lots to do there. I paid more for the privilege but there are pros and cons to every decision. To me, it made sense and I appreciated it for a while, then moved out when it was time to go. No bitching. No regrets.

I just don't understand the problem here, we have a nanny from the Philippines, a cook from China a butler from Ireland and a Palestinian chauffeur.

Its about time we start an Israeli tea party movement demanding lower taxes, more free market, cuts on the NII health care system and taxes and opening up a private market for private insurance companies. Most of all, it will be a response to all these pro-government control people rioting on the streets now.

no child needs a stroller for close to 1000 shekel half the price would serve them just as well, no one is talking 100 shekel but "as the say in English "keeping up with the Jone's " isnt that the case here and of course the answer would be but we didnt buy it we got it as a gift from the family, well then ask for more reasonable and cost affective gifts and dont accept the rolls royce in strollers just to take the financial burden off a bit

The problem is that salaries in general may not be living wages for many people, especially women. However, any price reductions cannot come at the expense of physical daycare conditions or of the childcare workers themselves - their contribution is extremely important and valuable, and minimum wage is out of the question. OUT of the question. If you need perspective, remember that folks who run gambling internet sites are millionaires and billionaires. If that disconnect doesn't wake you up, you need to leave this country.

is much more effective with with a good set of goggles and a helmet.

This whole "protest" is rediculous. Did any of you notice, where the biggest part of this protest took? In Tel-Aviv and the cities around it. You need a lot of money to live in Tel-Aviv. Why they have kids if they can't afford the diapeares? What BS this people promote. There are allot of people, who live in Israel on smaller encome, less than 3 thousend per month. And they still have a normal life. I am a single mother and raised my son on very small encome, and we still have everything. People need to learn how to live on the smaller money, than spend money like they do in Israel. What families in Israel have more kids? The orthodox and religiouse Jewish and Muslims. Did you see any of them in this demostration? Now, because they didn't demand like leftists do. Why this protesters instead of work, waist their time on demonstration? Because they probably was paid to make fool of our country with rediculous demands. They think the Israel owe them. Nobody owe them nothing. Before they have kids, they should think if they could afford them. Puting their problems on govermant is not gonna help them. Nobody would give them free childcare, free diapeares or free houses. If they will not work and earn money, they would have nothing. and they can demonstrate to the end of the eath, but they just show how stupid they are. We didn't live in Soialist country, we live in Сapitalists country. Everything in Сapitalists country need to be paid and nobody would care if you have money to pay or not. We also have a very good social security for the Capitalist country and this stupid freeloaders want us to pay for them. It's not enough, that we pauing electricity bills for Hevrat Hasmal workers and for Palestine electricity and water. They want us to pay for their housing, childcare and diapeares. get a life leftis. You show how you didn't care about your own country and you didn't decerve to have anything. You already have more than any ordinary Israely have. Just people who are rich can affod to demonstrate every day.