mkz Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/07/30/israel.protests/ More here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-israel-protests-20110730-27,0,5158684.story From 2008 to 2010, housing prices rose nearly 50%, according to government figures. Nationwide, rents last year increased by 20%, and in Tel Aviv rents surged 30% during the first three months of 2010 alone.But incomes are not keeping pace. Average income has risen just 17% over the last five years, to about $30,000 a year, government statistics show. In Tel Aviv and other high-cost cities, many residents are spending half their salary or more on rent. So even though Israel's economy is growing at an enviable clip and the unemployment rate is at an all-time low of 5.7%, middle-class families complain of being squeezed by the rising cost of living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Oh dear. I remember people in Ireland complaining about the same thing in 1998. The man from the Gubmint came along to reassure them. The rest is history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffneck Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Israhells economy is going gangbusters due to all the land they are stealing from the Palestinians. Why buy a house in Tel Aviv though? it'll probably be bombed out within 5-10 years.Pure madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr 0.01% Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I don't want to politicise this thread but Israel's treatment of the palestinians, for whichever reasons, is disgusting. If they werent a puppet of the US they would have been Libya'd years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tahoma Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Bear in mind that most property in Israel looks like it was prefabricated and thrown up in 3 days, and you can see why they are a bit aggrieved. I wonder if there is a bit of tension regarding adding to the population from the diaspora, and thus putting more pressure on housing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibley's Love Child Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Just send our man Shapps over there with some of his 'innovative lending solutions'. Bish, bash, bosh, job done. Housing affordable again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkz Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 Israhells economy is going gangbusters due to all the land they are stealing from the Palestinians. Er, no. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkz Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 most property in Israel looks like it was prefabricated and thrown up in 3 days Er, no. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_cities Look at the pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEO72 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Er, no. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel I guess receiving 3 billion a year from the US hasn't done them any harm either.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libspero Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Israel: Population Density: 321 persons / km2. Urban population: 91% That is the root cause of Israel's housing crisis. That is also why they are invading Palestine. (History) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffneck Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Er, no. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Israel I don't see how linking a wikipedia article helps you.The land stolen has been mostly prime agricultural land , there are numerous petitions online asking people to boycott foods and manufactured goods that have been created in this land stolen from Palestinians - go do some research. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkz Posted July 31, 2011 Author Share Posted July 31, 2011 I don't see how linking a wikipedia article helps you.The land stolen has been mostly prime agricultural land , there are numerous petitions online asking people to boycott foods and manufactured goods that have been created in this land stolen from Palestinians - go do some research. I was just objecting to your claim that the reason for Israel's economic growth is that they are stealing land. The article makes it clear that there is much more to the Israeli economy than agriculture. It says "2.8% of GDP is derived from agriculture". It also reports 4.8% economic growth in 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Israel says "The importance of agriculture in Israel's economy has fallen over time, accounting for decreasing values of GDP." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest_when_* Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I don't want to politicise this thread but Israel's treatment of the palestinians, for whichever reasons, is disgusting. If they werent a puppet of the US they would have been Libya'd years ago. I agree, but to "Libya'd" it have they got oil?!?!?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruffneck Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I was just objecting to your claim that the reason for Israel's economic growth is that they are stealing land. The article makes it clear that there is much more to the Israeli economy than agriculture. It says "2.8% of GDP is derived from agriculture". It also reports 4.8% economic growth in 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_Israel says "The importance of agriculture in Israel's economy has fallen over time, accounting for decreasing values of GDP." Exploiting Other Area Resources Besides water, Israel controls fertile land, mineral resources, tourist sites, and cheap labor in spite of international law prohibitions and a 1983 High Court of Justice (HCJ) ruling that "area held in belligerent occupation is not an open field for economic exploitation." Like many other HCJ decisions, Israel ignored it, denying or restricting Palestinians access to their own resources. In fact, the World Bank said if Palestinians had greater water access, agriculture (their main economic sector) would nearly double its share of current GDP and increase employment by 100,000, nearly twice today's level. Moreover, if they had access to 50,000 more dunams of land and its water, they could develop a modern agricultural industry, generating about $1 billion annually and up to an additional 200,000 jobs. In contrast, settlers engage in "intensive, year round, computerized," innovative farming, switching crops depending on domestic and export markets demand. Israeli enterprises also exploit the area's resources. Examples include Ahava cosmetics using Dead Sea high-mineral content mud, Kochav Hashahar quarry extracting building materials, and Jordan Valley facilities treating Israel and settlements' wastewater, burying it on Palestinian land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibley's Love Child Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I predict a forty page Israeli-Palestinian conflict marathon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okaycuckoo Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I predict a forty year Israeli-Palestinian conflict marathon. Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Israel's powers-that-be have a vested interest in discontent over house prices: it helps them tell the world (or at least their 'merkin friends) they really do need to go on expanding their Lebensraum despite what native populations or anyone else might say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parkwell Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Best thing the Israelis can do is leave. Go buy somewhere with a stable housing market and economy. Like Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 (edited) At least a quarter of a million Israelis have staged marches over the rising cost of living. The largest protest was in Tel Aviv where police said at least 200,000 people were on the streets, while another 30,000 marched in Jerusalem. In one of biggest waves of protests in decades in Israel, demonstrators are demanding government action to reduce the cost of housing and food. Some protesters have also set up camp in city centres. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld that as well as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, an estimated 20,000 people had taken part in protests in other towns and cities. "Our numbers are more than 250,000 people across the country," he told AFP news agency. Israeli media put the number of protesters closer to 300,000. Continue reading the main story Analysis Wyre Davies BBC News, Jerusalem If the Israeli government was hoping this extraordinary movement of middle-class protesters was losing momentum and direction, the message from the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities across the country is that they are not giving up. The unaffordability of housing, childcare and even some basic foods has driven many Israelis to despair in a country with high prices but relatively low salaries. Thus far, Prime Minister Netanyahu has promised to reassess his government's priorities and make housing more affordable. But, until they see more immediate and concrete proposals, thousands of protesters say they will remain camped out in the heart of Tel Aviv. It was the third Saturday of protests in a row. The BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem says most of those taking part were middle-class professionals who say their salaries cannot cover basic expenses including housing and childcare. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14433245 In the UK the people would be more likely to protest if house prices became affordable Edited August 7, 2011 by Redhat Sly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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