PM admits: Apartments too expensive

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to pacify the Israeli public following Saturday's housing shortage protest in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu addressed the burning issue during Sunday's cabinet meeting, promising reform and claiming: "We do not only sympathise with this very real housing crisis, we also identified it years ago before I joined the government and requested to find a solution for it."

• Receive Ynetnews updates directly to your desktop
  

They PM's Office announced Netanyahu will be meeting Monday with the protest organizers, who claim they are unaware of such a meeting.

Netanyahu admitted that "young couples in Israel are unable to afford to buy an apartment because they are too expensive. The apartments are too expensive because there aren't enough of them and that's due to a governmental monopoly, which holds over 90% of the lands in Israel intended for building."

"There are some of the world's most complicated planning committees in Israel and it takes over five years to green light the construction of an apartment," he added.

Netanyahu suggested to "simplify these mechanisms" in order to make a change. "It took us two years to make these two changes and this week we're completing the reform at the Planning and Construction Committee and the Israel Land Administration," he explained.

"The government lifted the absurd ban to build in the Dan agglomeration, we offered different incentives, and we used highways to connect to the periphery. Because of that we now have 48,000 new construction plans beginning – almost 50% more than the previous decade. "

Tel Aviv protest on Saturday (Photo: Yaron Brener)

The PM went on to promise more reforms, "which will help young couples, students and the needy in the upcoming year."

During the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu tried to enlist the support of the ministers for his campaign and outlined the government's achievements in the housing field, including the reform in the Israel Land Administration.

He challenged the ministers to come up with ideas and plans to solve the crisis.

'Supportive and understating'

Hours after Saturday's protest outside the Tel Aviv Museum, demonstrators clashed with police and hundreds blocked the Ibn Gabirol-Kaplan intersection, followed later by Ben Zion Boulevard. Police forces dispersed the protesters using horses and the Special Patrol Unit, as demonstrators hurled bottles and smoke grenade at them.

Fourty-three people were detained for questioning for blocking roads, assaulting police officers and throwing smoke grenades. Eleven of them will be brought before the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Sunday for remand hearings.

Stav Shapir, one of the organizers, said although some of the demonstrators became unruly it was easy to sense the police officers identified with them. "Despite the violent acts taken by some of the police officers, we could see that some of them were supportive and understating of our fight."

'A leader is tested in hard times'

Meanwhile, President Shimon Peres addressed the growing housing protest during the State ceremony honoring Israel's deceased presidents and premiers.

"A leader is tested in hard times, when he is required to make hard decisions. He may see his supporters fidget uncomfortably, he may hear the disappointed voiced from his own camp, and the cold math may lead him to doubt whether he can raise a majority.

"In such a time he is tested – does he lead, or does he follow?" Peres said, hinting to Netanyahu's handling of the affordable housing protest.

Peres further mentioned former Prime Minister's Menachem Begin's concern about providing affordable housing, which led to the then-government's urban rehabilitation program.