[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: If YNET - the new organization that makes every
effort to promote the social protests against the government - can only
manage to come up with a figure of "some 1,500 people gathered in various
protests across Israel" then the real story here is that this protest
movement is a dud so far. The question for reporters should be "why"?

1,500 protest against budget across country

Protesters gather in front of PM Residence in Jerusalem, near Netanyahu's
private home in Caesarea, march in Tel Aviv, Beersheba; 'There is no future
with Bibi and Lapid,' protesters chant

Ynet reporters Published: 05.18.13, 21:47 / Israel News
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4381148,00.html

Some 1,500 people gathered in various protests across Israel Saturday, to
protest against the State budget that was passed Tuesday by the cabinet.

Protesters gathered in front of the Jerusalem residence of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, carrying signs that read "Take from the wealthy, not
from the public."

MK Stav Shaffir (Labor), marching with protesters in Jerusalem, told Ynet
"The budget that our new finance minister brought before the cabinet was
exactly the same as the one handed in by Netanyahu. It's as if Netanyahu
himself wrote it."

"It's a budget that ignores the Israeli citizen," she added.

At the same time, protesters gathered in front of the prime minister's
private residence in Caesarea.

Referring to reports that some $127,000 were spent in addition to an already
$300,000 flight in order to install a bedchamber in a plane carrying the
prime minister and his wife to London, protesters in Caesarea brought an
inflatable bed and cried out "There is no future with Bibi and Lapid."

Police demanded that protesters stay some 200 meters away from the house,
but they refused, insisting there was no legal justification for keeping
them away.

Protesters also marched in Tel Aviv, crying out against the new austerity
measures.

Addressing recent reports regarding hiked expenses of the PM's Residence,
organizers of the march posted on Facebook, "We're tired of hearing about
luxury beds in the prime minister's planes. We're tired of hearing promises…
being lied to."

Oren Pasternak, one of the organizers of the Tel Aviv rally, said: "We are
protesting against the fraud of the finance minister and the prime minister,
who told us throughout the election campaign that taxing the middle and
lower classes would be a red line."

"Instead of demonstrating how you take money from other places, they take
from the middle class and the underprivileged.

Protesters also gathered in Beersheba, waving banners reading "The Negev
demands social justice" and "Everything is expensive and the treasury is
cruel."