The unexpectedly large turnout yesterday in support of the demand that the government address socio-economic issues easily eclipsed any previous such demonstrations in the Jewish state's history.
Israel's streets witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of public anger, capped by nearly 300,000 citizens joining protests to demand 'social justice', forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to scramble for a solution to calm discontent over rising cost of living.
The unexpectedly large turnout yesterday in support of the demand that the government address socio-economic issues easily eclipsed any previous such demonstrations in the Jewish state's history.
Initially, Netanyahu's aides reportedly dismissed the protesters, saying they had come out to witness performances by leading musicians, but the unexpectedly huge numbers across the country has pushed the government on the back foot.
Though the government does not face any immediate threat of being dislodged, the wave of protests during the last three weeks has underscored the potential electoral impact of a burdened middle class rallying under the banner of "social justice".
Bowing to the protesters, Netanyahu, a champion of free market economy, announced this morning at the weekly cabinet meeting the appointment of a committee of experts to propose social-economic reform.
The team will be headed by Harvard-educated Professor Manuel Tranchtenberg, chairman of the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, and will also include academics and experts from the private sector.
"We will listen to everyone... We won't be able to please everyone, but we will have a real dialogue," said a defensive prime minister.
"It is not normal that while the country is rich, an overwhelming size of its citizens are poor," Dario, a student leader from Tel Aviv University participating in the protest march, told PTI.
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