Dear author, First, it was not tens of thousands, it was hundreds of thousands on the streets. Get your very simple facts straight. Second, You provide no facts and make no point. Please clarify what you are talking about. Danger just attempts to scare people when you provide no back up to your argument.

Was todays earthquake an answer from Hashem? Is He getting fed up with the infighting of Israel while the whole world is rising up against her to destroy her? This is a time for unity and sacrifice. Brotherly kindness and mercy!

I think we all agree that the Israeli middle class, religious and secular, right and left winged, Jews and Moslems, are earning a lot less than their American or European colleagues and pay more than double on living expenses. One result is that people leave Israel - a serious brain drain which is not good for our country. What I find troubling is that religious and/or right wing Israelis are so caught up in their ideology and seperatism that they rather not join a protest for a common cause than be exposed to the spectre of "socialism". Fear not, Yoaz, there will be no socialism, only Zionism.

Get rid of Netanyahu; that's half your problem.

is what hendel wants them 2 become - another puppet operated by the military-media establishment

You say that the protestors only represent one tribe within the nation with political and media agendas, etc, while openly admitting your fear that no questions will be allowed. Your PC either has you bound and gagged or you just wanted to rant without pointing fingers for fear of retribution. Additionally, you blatantly belittle this democratic event and even call it dangerous...as you stated: it's not ALL of Israels voice and people shouldn't speak for the whole. Well, WHI is supposed to speak for the whole? Isnt it BETTER for the actual masses to speak out about whatever they think is important rather than having only elected officials speak FOR you....when they are not exactly doing the best job? WHO is this tribe you speak of? What political officiation do they have? And if this is a political agenda; WHOEVER IT IS HAS MORE POWER THAN ANYONE IN ISRAEL because according to you they have the MEDIA, POLITICIANS AND PUBLIC ALL SUPPORTING THEM. do you see how silly that sounds. If this was the case, WHOEVER THIS TRIBE IS will obviously get whatever they want, since, as you say, they enjoy such widespread support. Step up and say it like it is: point the finger and speak you're mind. Or, are you afraid to exercise your democratic right to free speech? No offense but you've sent a bizarre and confused message that flies right out of the window and into the trashheap. As a journalist, you should know better. Speak pointed, straight forward and make some sense of your story. Otherwise step aside because you're wasting everyones time. Also, you did t offer a single solution to any issues raised: and it's not like there's a shortage of them being spoken out there!

There are real cost of living problems in Israel. I know because, as an oleh, I coiuld not find a small apartment to rent Aviv or Jerusalem; they asked for a high deposit and the rent was too high. The only affordable place for me and my wife was a 'dira' a single room in Eliat . That turned out to be good because we soon fell in love with Eilat but it is small and far from everywhere else. Still I have not heard one feasible proposl for making more affordable apartments available - where are the construction development plans.? Where are the tax reduction proposals? All I hear is a list of complaints which feels good to express but leads nowhere without practical proposals.

As the protesters and their self-selected "leaders" assemble an increasing list of demands, one must ask how meeting those demands will be funded. In Biblical terms, whose ox will be gored? There are many things a government can't do, and shouldn't attempt to do because, well, their best intentions often make things worse. "The government" can't make everything better, and can't be one's sugar daddy; it's only comprised of the citizenry, and it is they who will bear the cost of new programs.

and what ?..... bring Amir Peretz back? I think you should really dump Obamma

It was a show of unity not based on war. It was long overdue. Our youth, who give 3 years of their life, often to a very unappreciative army, and the rest of their life to army reserves, deserves better than to barely make it every month, if they are working hard. Housing and Daycare are disproportionately expensive in this country; however, upper education is one-tenth the cost of education in other countries, and medical care is free. So I hope those two things stay at least. But the alternative to the protest is doing nothing - that has got to stop.

A Left wing journalist from a competing newspaper proved there could have been no more than 65000. YOU FAIL

I agree with you but many don't, and I think that is what Hendel is saying.. The youth of Judea and Samaria give more to IDF service than any other group, but apart from you and me, no one cares. Netanyahu doesn't allow them to build homes in their own villages, and Leftists want to evict their from their homes,, and worse, evict their widows and orphans. Last month, Lieberman wanted to give them tiny compensation for the three years (and don't forget miluim) but the Left stopped it.

For starters, while Israelis do not earn income at the level of Americans (can't speak to Europeans; I don't know enough about their income levels), I can tell you that Americans in the major population centers -- New York, Washington D.C., Boston, Philly, Chicago, Los Angeles) spend a ridiculous amount of money for homes, certainly disproportionately so. Medical care is expensive, as well. Don't even think about what it costs to educate your child in the United States. So if rents are high, or apartments expensive, in Israel, look on the bright side. You don't have to pay $60,000 a year to educate your child. You don't have to pay ridiculously high medical bills. So you have to take a somewhat large mortgage in order to buy a home. Boo, hoo, hoo. Join the club.

Question: Who is that tribe? As a group, the right can't afford housing any better than the left. The protestors were a mixed group. Solution: A competing train system. It's such a small country, a good train network would make TA an hour or less commute from most areas. Make the jobs in TA accessable to outlying areas where housing is less expensive, and young families will move to the outlying areas. That will rejuvenate these areas and the natural laws of supply and demand will cause rents in TA to go down. And it would get cars off the road and reduce pollution.

One can tell you have not tried to live here. But never mind, I like your enthusiasm.