Utter demagoguery. The Knesset is functioning, the exports and production growing, the tourism is growing, the IDF getting stronger, a new strategic alliance between Israel and Eastern/Southern European countries is being built (and demonstrated its efficiency fighting the Karmiel fire), soon the country will begin mining own oil and gas; electric cars are on the way ("Project Better Place"). Calling Israel a "banana republic" is nothing short of slander.

What's with all the complaining? The government is trying to work with you. You're the ones doing 'tricks'. The current government has done pretty well for us during the global financial crisis. America is drowning in debt. Europe is dead. Don't be idiots and don't be so full of yourselves!

When you play poker, you don't play alone, do you? Yossi Yanah states: "The prime minister is playing poker and placing an entire public at risk." The same can be said of the protesters. The fact is the problems that have emerged do NOT have any solution that can be implemented in days, or even weeks. To change the housing shortage for instance, you would have to build more houses, right? Or create a rail system to the suburbs where housing is cheaper, but you have a longer commute. How long would that take?, days, weeks, months or years? So the protesters have to have real expectations, right?

"I am not in the game of taking from someone to give to someone else." Well where exactly are thje resources for the demanded change to come from? States are no different from individuals. Either we earn more resources to pay for the things we want, or we allocate our resources differently (so, yes, there have to be losers). Or we live beyond our means, and go down the Greek, Irish etc route. I'm afraid the Head of the Natilal Student Union just got a "fail" in Economics 101!

Can real middle class Israelis trust someone who calls us a banana republic? Do they know what that means? I come from Africa - we are not even close to a "banana republic". This "expert" sounds as much a radical as those already threatening Netanyau with "another leader would take his place".

People who are tired really ought to take some medicine to go to sleep, for this noise is going to continue for a while

If I were Bibi, I would concentrate first on increasing housing construction, removing taxes on food, tax reform. Basically I would do my job and ignore these anarchists.

The foreign Jews are laundering their money by buying apartments and houses in Israel for any price in order to hide their money. They are driving up the cost of housing. Housing in Israel has replaced the secret Swiss bank accounts.

and they will not fall for the negotiation trick just for the negotiations ' in other words don't treat us like you have been treating the palestinians for years !!! get it !!!

Let's have some background on these so-called ''experts'' ...... I think you'll find that they have no background in economics but quite a background in radical anti-Zionist activites. If you don't think I'm right, just google up the names, don't be lazy. Calling these characters ''experts'' is not just dishonest but actually hilarious.

Foreign governments and foreign organizations are undoubtedly involved in these protests. It doesn't take a scientist or PhD to figure that out. 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 these protests are not cheap someone or some foreign entity must be paying for this.

So your saying the "foreign Jews" are what, criminals? Why because they made money legally, then risked that money on buying land in another country. The property values went up, and it turned out to be a good investment. What's wrong with that? How is it different from buying beachfront property here in the USA? I've heard this charge repeated many times throughout this debate. How many believe it? Why would you refer to the Jewish people as criminals who are "laundering" their money, implying that the money is an ill-gotten gain? How can just those people be responsible for the increase in property values? It makes no sense.

BUILD.... fill this entire land with homes!!!!!!

The green shoots of democracy can now be seen in Israel. More than casting a vote, then going home, it is about getting involved. Everywhere and in everything. May this new spirit flourish and grow. That is my hope for a better future for my children and grand child here Do not let the politicians fool you with money, cliche promises and statistics, This is a healthy building chapter in the chronicle of Israel,

for the demand of the protestors to make an independent study on their own ? (names, or institutions, or companies you would chose of)

The Palestinians are very well treated by Israel. The only ones who do not treat them well is they own people. By the way, You are perhaps Israeli but not a Jew .

Hi Mark, Please keep in mind that many apartments in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv stand empty because foreign investors have purchased them and are not living in them. As I'm sure you're aware this hurts the economy of both cities. Please also keep in mind that contractors are building luxury apartments, which the average Israeli cannot afford. They do this to ensure the largest profit margins possible. So essentially, foreign investors are coming in and purchasing apartments with currencies that carry a much higher value than the sheckle. This is problematic because property value have skyrocketed (more than 30% in the last 2 years) and the people that live in Israel can no longer afford to purchase a home. That coupled with the fact that at the end of the day Israelis get to keep a total of 22% of their wages (the rest going to direct and indirect taxes) we have a real problem here. So I would agree with you if you were referring to a country with over 300million residents such as the USA, but we are a country of 7 million, and Jerusalem and Tel Aviv (our two largest cities) have a population of a little less than 2million combined. So no Jews who purchase property in Israel and don't live here are not criminals but they are adding to an already difficult situation.

Simple answer: Daniel Doron.

How will this future they are protesting for be financed? Lower VAT Build more homes Fre education starting at 3 months Smaller school class sizes Hiring more policemen, firemen and social workers Lower fuel prices Lower electricity prices Lower food prices A 50% increase in the minimum wage They are just a few of the many demands being made, how is it all going to be paid for. We could say we won't give the military a single shekel for the next decade and we still won't pay for all o it so the idea cutting the military budget is the solution to everything doesn't add up. These protestors are also unlikely to be compromising because there are so many of them. We satisfy one group and another will say thats not enough, this is not social justice. We will make cutbacks in 1 area to give more to a different one and the sector that has suffered cutbacks will moan. If we raise income tax people will moan. If we borrow heavily and inflation goes up so their paycheck doesn't stretch as far people will moan. Its a no win situation for Bibi.

(on wiki), but they would need to be paid, what the protestors cant afford... so, if someone (non-government, independent, maybe a fund) would pay them, then there would be a third study... good...

Why isnt the Media asking who in actuality, are the "Leaders" of this "Protest"...?? How about Yehudit Ilani, for example, a leader of the protests in Jaffa, who is an Israeli-Jewish member of the hardline, Arab nationalist party Balad, which openly supports dismantling Jewish statehood and the ‘”Right of return” of Palestinian refugees, that is, Israel’s destruction. Or Dafni Leef, another protest leader, is an employee of the New Israel Fund. And we all know who "They" are.. Or Alon Lee Green, another of the most prominent organizers, is a member of Hadash, the Israeli Communist Party. And now, Professor Yossi Yonah, who believes in a "One State Solution"...Yea, people Id REALLY trust!!

The same is true here too. If you buy a house in the city, it will cost double or triple what you would pay in the suburbs. Plus the property taxes are triple, or more, as well. So many people choose to buy in the suburbs and do a long commute every day to work. How many "empty apartments", percentage wise, would say there is? You say those do not contribute to the economy, but don't they pay property taxes on those properties? Secondly, do they rent those apartments to tourists to help defray the cost? If so, they do contribute to the local economy, right? Also you say the builders, who are private business owner's, build more expensive places to make a better profit. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that. You get into business to make money. But clearly there is a market for less expensive places, but maybe not in the city, that's all. Your taxes do sound extremely high. Would you say if the government lowered taxes, or gave large tax credits for buying a home that would help? Also it seems that government regulation to get building permits works so slow, that it's created a housing shortage, is that true, in your opinion? What are the practical solutions to this problem? Thanks for the info.

Stop the foreigners buying housing in Israel and it would be devastating for the economy, its another one of those things which are part of the problem but also part of the solution. The foreigners bring billions in new money into the country When they buy a property they have to pay property taxes to the government. the seller has to pay sales taxes to the government and the more expensive the apartment the more taxes they pay. Without all these foreigners the developers would build only a fraction of the new buildings they do in this country and that would mean fewer jobs, less profit for the developers and less tax money for government. The places where the foreigners want to buy their homes will always be expensive anyway. Tel Aviv certainly will never be an affordable place to live and government cant control the evolution of a city. The foreigners are part of the problem but they are not the problem and we can't stop them buying because otherwise it will cost the country to much in lost revenue.

Get yourselves a life - honestly. The government is trying to work with you. You don't live in this world. You live in fantasies. You see conspiracies that don't exist. Have you understood a word of what Netanyahu has said about solving the problems of housing prices, cartels and monopolies? Have you enlightened romantic freedom fighters - so called "protestors" a concrete academic and professional background in business and economics? Do you understand WHY the present situation exists and HOW it came into being? Without understanding the why and how you will solve nothing. Barking like dogs will not solve anything. You have problems? Identify them and let the government identify them. You want changes? The government must make inquiries into how, why, when, where and to what extent those changes need to be made with the whole nation's well being taken into consideration. Leave the thinking to people who can think and not to people who shout and scream and act like popularity seeking clowns. You want to talk to the government. The government is speaking to you. No, you don't want to speak to the government. Are you protestors plain and simply - schizophrenic? There are institutiions for such people. To the protestors: you make things worse - not better. You come with no solutions - only slogans. You discard and reject the government's solutions when they are given to you. I get the feeling that you protestors don't really know what exactly it is that you want.