Israeli Protests Return to Streets for Economic Justice

Activists and supporters angered over the spiraling cost of living in Israel are to take to the streets of several cities on Saturday following an eight-week break.

The largest protest is expected to take place in Tel Aviv from 9:00 pm (19:00 GMT) under the rallying call of "Return to the Streets", organizers said.

On September 3, almost half a million Israelis across the country took part in the largest demonstration against the soaring cost of living and house prices since the protest movement began in mid-July.

Organizers of the latest rallies called on their website for protesters to demand parliament scrap the 2012 budget and submit a new version "taking into account the demands of the people."

"Go out in huge numbers to show our elected leaders that we are still here," they urged.

The social movement broke out after young Israelis angry at the cost of housing in Tel Aviv pitched tents in the middle of an upscale neighborhood to express their frustration.

The tent protest quickly mushroomed, with dozens of similar encampments sprouting in towns and cities across the country.

The movement won widespread support, staging weekly demonstrations that eventually attracted hundreds of thousands of Israelis, breaking records in the Jewish state and captivating the local media.

But after the September 3 rally, its leaders announced the dismantling of the tent cities and that they would seek to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government through other means.

On October 9, Israel's cabinet approved the outline of economic reforms intended to address the rising frustrations, but protest organizers have said they do not go far enough.