Tent protest leaders to present list of 8 demands to PM

Demands include halting privatization of welfare, free education from age 3 months; hundreds protest in J'lem against PM's new housing law.

By BEN HARTMAN, MELANIE LIDMAN
housing protest representatives_311 (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
housing protest representatives_311
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Representatives from the 40 tent cities across the country and the heads of the Student Union on Tuesday reached an agreement on eight demands to present to the Netanyahu government to settle the housing and social issues crisis.
Entitled "Guidelines for a new social and economic agenda", the demands included reducing indirect taxes, (in particular VAT), investing surplus tax revenues back to citizens by way of the state budget, cancellation of the national housing committees law, increasing the budget for the ministry of housing and construction, implementation of the law on compulsory free education from 3 months old, an increase in medical supplies and infrastructure at health facilities across Israel, a halt to the privatization of welfare and mental health facilities, and a gradual cancellation of private contractor run construction projects in the public sector.
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The agreement was reached during a meeting held at the University of Tel Aviv on Tuesday. On Monday, the student union convinced tent city protest leaders to nix a demand that cameras be present at any negotiation with the government.
Meanwhile, hundreds demonstrated outside of the Knesset on Tuesday evening against the discussion Wednesday of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's new housing law, which they claim does not have enough provisions for public housing and ensuring that the new housing will be affordable instead of luxury housing.
Chanting "The Nation Wants Social Justice!" 100 people from the Jerusalem tent city in Gan Hasus (Horse Park) marched to the Wohl Rose Park, where they were joined by buses of protesters from as far away as Kiryat Shmona.