Tablet Magazine » Israel’s Housing Crisis, Rooted in the Settlements http://www.tabletmag.com A New Read on Jewish Life Sat, 25 May 2013 04:00:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/73220/israel%e2%80%99s-housing-crisis-has-roots-in-the-settlements?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel%e2%80%99s-housing-crisis-has-roots-in-the-settlements&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israel%25e2%2580%2599s-housing-crisis-has-roots-in-the-settlements http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/73220/israel%e2%80%99s-housing-crisis-has-roots-in-the-settlements#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:30:56 +0000 Liel Leibovitz http://www.tabletmag.com/?p=73220

In Haifa this morning, demonstrators blocked a major thoroughfare. The same happened in Tel Aviv, leading to scuffles with the police. In Jerusalem, law enforcement clearred protestors who were blocking all approach to the Knesset, arresting five young activists. The men and women taking to the streets are, for the most part, beginners when it comes to civil disobedience. Together with tens of thousands of their peers, mostly young Israelis in their 20s and early 30s, they have organized to protest the escalating costs of apartments in Israel’s main metropolises.

They have a point. A single room in a Tel Aviv apartment can go for as much as 3,000 shekels, or nearly $900, a hefty price for most young and struggling Israelis. The situation isn’t much better in Jerusalem, and only slightly more reasonable in Haifa and Be’er Sheva. The movement was able to recruit vast numbers in a short period of time—is there anything more visceral than real estate?—making this one of the most tempestuous moments in Israeli political history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, no stranger to crises, cancelled his upcoming trip to Poland to try to assuage angry voters.

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In Haifa this morning, demonstrators blocked a major thoroughfare. The same happened in Tel Aviv, leading to scuffles with the police. In Jerusalem, law enforcement clearred protestors who were blocking all approach to the Knesset, arresting five young activists. The men and women taking to the streets are, for the most part, beginners when it comes to civil disobedience. Together with tens of thousands of their peers, mostly young Israelis in their 20s and early 30s, they have organized to protest the escalating costs of apartments in Israel’s main metropolises.

They have a point. A single room in a Tel Aviv apartment can go for as much as 3,000 shekels, or nearly $900, a hefty price for most young and struggling Israelis. The situation isn’t much better in Jerusalem, and only slightly more reasonable in Haifa and Be’er Sheva. The movement was able to recruit vast numbers in a short period of time—is there anything more visceral than real estate?—making this one of the most tempestuous moments in Israeli political history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, no stranger to crises, cancelled his upcoming trip to Poland to try to assuage angry voters.

Continue reading "" at...

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