the government has to lower the taxes. the government finances all sort of things, e.g. building streets, paying their employees, or their various other budgets mainly with THAT collected taxes (e.g. income tax, vat on food, cars, computers...). if they now lower now your taxes, then there is a "hole" in their finance plan - money is missing, to finance the various budgets. they cant just print some more, this causes inflation... it seems, they try to f:ck you by increasing electriciy costs, which is probably a state owned enterprise, to fill that hole... there is actually only ONE true, fair and realistic way, to fill the hole in the state income - by lowering the budgets... and - the most inflated one is the defense budget, and the most unneccessary one is the settler budget... and thats why there are "observers" as limor livnat in that team: to take care, that these budgets arent touched... but be realistic - you HAVE to go precisely after cutting THESE budgets. no way around. nobody says, they have to be set to zero, but that are the budgets to save money on. not increasing electricity... they are pulling the wool over you. now really BIG TIME ! bibi is checkmated, and he knows it...

How about checking reality before demanding anything. It would help to look at the rest of the world right now. If the government were to give in to all their demands the statement about a failed economic system would become accurate in no time and Israel would turn into Greece or Ireland, only with implacable enemies on all of its borders.

It's well known that 2 arguing Jews have 3 independent and completely different opinions on any subject. The bigger is going to be the panel - the less chances ANYTHING will be agreed. Is THAT what Bibi has in mind? If so - he hasn't understood the seriousness of his and his Party's predicament and will pay dearly very soon. The only horror is if that dreadful shrilly brain-dead woman will become the PM instead - that will be the end of our country. Remember how Jews were tearing each other's beards while Romans were breaking through the walls of the Temple?

Like Rabin and Peres ignored us when we protested against Oslo. When Sharon ignored us when we protested against the Gush Katif "disengagement." At least Netanyahu is not calling you "propeller heads" like Rabin called us. Consider yourselves lucky.

to bring the government down the left is abusing the people needs and the problems of the middle class in order to make a public protest to bring the government down by forcing populist parties like shas and UTJ to bolt the coalition so the government will be finished but i dont think that they will succed shas will never bolt the government for many reasons 1- they are getting the money they want for the yeshiva 2-they know that if elections held today they might find themselves 7 seats only after ariah deri enters politics 3-if the left won the elections kadima wouldnt give them the money they want so the government will go nowhere and i am sure if netanyahu decided to make a concession to the PA ( accepting 1967 borders) everything will be ok when BIBI was a finance minister he made cuts to the welfare budget and the middle class was harmed so much but the left didnt make such protests why ?? because of the withdrawl from gaza !!!!!!!!!!!!!! shalom

Why do I have the bad feeling that when this is over, not only will I still not be able to buy a house, I'll be expected to use what money I have earned in the last 25 years to help students and just about everyone else buy their homes.

Ladies and gentle men, we should be thankful and really appreciate the life we currently have, many nations around the globe (including the majority of Arabs) dream of having basic services such as electricity, food, and WATER, not to mention education and other services!

I have always voted Likud but guess what? They may have received my last vote ever. Milk prices to high? Just take the money from the Farmers. Not the ones taking advantage of the farmers and our hard work. Deal falling through with Egypt No problem just raise the price of fuel to the people of Israel. Anyone ever think about lowering the CEO'S Fin Salary? Shall I go on and on and on? It's voluntary enslavement here. We are the working poor slaves to the elite of Israel.

OK, so we can understand some time the fanatics who want land. But need the seven and half million Israeli citizens suffer forever, pay exaggerated taxes, be unable to have adequate services, be manipulated by rabbis and self-serving politicians? This is a desperate taxpayer revolt, not a small social revolt. Bibi brewed this economic crisis for years and needs to admit he has failed. Take a good look which sector in Israel has failed the most, Bibi, and admit it is the Yesha settlers. Israel cannot afford the expense of the settlements and the manpower needed to protect them in Yesha. Please, roll up your sleeves Mr. PM and rescue Israel. Forming this new team will only delay the solution, but Israeli public knows all the old tricks and will not tolerate further delays. Bibi, you have no choice and need a pragmatic action, not empty talking.

I have a flat in Monaco and a holiday home in Thailand. And so does everyone I know. I don't understand, what is the problem?

Middlemen = higher prices. Cartels and monopolies = higher prices. ALL governments here have always overtaxed it's citizens. CHANGE THE SYSTEM and everything else will fall into place.

Does it matter how many people are on this committee? Do you really think that any size committee can just sit down over coffee and "negotiate" solutions to every social problem that has been created over the last 25 years? Instant gratification here is guaranteed to cause a disaster that you folks haven't even imagined yet. How about some savlanut and finding real long-lasting solutions, not just an excuse to go around beating your chests and declaring that you won?

They still have not worked out that because their leader wanted it all, they got nothing.

Just watch taxes & inflation go up and value of the Shekel go down so we can subsidize the cost of buying apartments in Tel Aviv for first time buyers, set up a welfare state and subsidize everything from fuel, electricity to food. The era of big government where the free market is discouraged is soon going to be upon us again, The government might survive if things start to calm down and the religious parties don't decide to pull out the coalition when Labor offer them a big increase in social welfare spending and senior government ministries if they win the next election. After the election though Likud is going to be out of government for a long time. We are probably going to have a Labor led coalition which will probably include Meretz and their priority of course will be the peace process and giving the palestinians anything they like and any new Syrian government the Golan as a goodwill gesture as well as bankrupting the country. The witch hunt against tycoons and big business risks driving out some of the foreign companies who have invested in Israel over the past decade and we will be up to our necks in debt. This is what happens when politicians responds to politics of envy.

this is just a ploy by Bibi to shut up and stiffle the protests,the time for real social change is now.

The reason why house purchases and renting of living space are so expensive is due to the high cost of LAND. This land is public property (bought by our fathers KKL efforts 80 years ago) for which the Israel Lands Authority has no authority to sell nor to hold out of use in speculation of its price so that the little available is so costly. A radical change in land tenure is VITAL or we will continue to find our children not being able to take reasonable mortgages. All land should be leased and taxed regardless of its use or missuse. All other taxes should be stopped except on alcohoic drinks. This will drive down land prices and allow us to have access to our national heritage the value of which continuously rises when the infrastructure is being improved and the land owner speculator alone benefits!