Israeli public radio Social and economic crises are pummeling the Jewish state and could soon topple the administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Strikes by both doctors – who are demanding higher wages – and government social workers continue and the nation's fuel crisis persists. Israeli beef and dairy producers continue to pressure Netatanyhu's administration, and the bloated cost of housing threatens the prime minister's shaky hold on the government. Public radio confirmed that a meeting designed to iron out the housing crisis between Netanyahu and Ariel Ottiyas, Minister of Housing, failed yesterday, but also reported that negotiations will continue in the coming days. There is a relationship between the various, ongoing Israeli protests, said Roti Sinai of Maariv, while claiming that the unrest stems from tax hikes, the trade unions' continued abuse of power and the rising housing prices. A large protest against housing prices is scheduled for Saturday, he added. A protest initiated by young doctors continues in most of Israel's major hospitals. The doctors are protesting the failure of the Ministry of Finance and the Medical Association to broker an equitable wage agreement. However, some claim the protest is simply theatrics masking the real motivation of evading the work order issued against doctors by the Central Labor Court in Tel Aviv. Details of the agreement are being drafted and refined, said Moshe Bar Siman Tov, a Ministry of Finance deputy budget official, in a radio interview. The Union of Israeli Livestock Breeders filed a lawsuit at the High Court of Justice against the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, Industry and Trade. The suit is a response to the Kidmy Commission decision to reform the dairy industry through the reduction of milk prices. In decision-making processes, a democratic state must negotiate and consult with those whose livelihoods will be affected by such decisions, said Yaakov Bohkar, director-general of the Union of Livestock Breeders. In an effort to assuage the protestors' anger, Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance, announced the first steps in a plan to reduce housing prices in Israeli cities. Economic problems plague the middle class in other Western countries, and while Israel is experiencing difficulty, its unemployment rate is markedly lower, and wages continue to rise despite the global economic crisis, Steinitz said in an interview yesterday. Yedioth Ahronoth Yedioth Aharonoth reported rising tensions and deep divisions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Ovijador Lieberman, after the law titled, "A Parliamentary Inquiry to Examine the Sources of Funding and Operation of Israeli Left-Wing Organizations" failed yesterday. The bill failed 57-28 in the Knesset. "We do not seek excuses to foster crisis in the coalition government, but we are in need of stability – the stability required to meet all challenges facing the coalition government," said Lieberman. Israeli investor to commit U.S. $6 to establish large upscale neighborhood Kazakhstan's new capital. David Ben-Nani, an Israeli investor, committed U.S. $6 billion to found a new upscale neighborhood in Astana, Kazakhstan, the new capital of the central Asian country. Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev decided to transfer the capital of the state to “New Astana,” a centrally located city. "I am proud to be responsible for this project," said Ben-Nani in an exclusive with Yedioth, adding that the neighborhood is one of the largest projects currently underway in Kazakhstan. Ben-Nani's cousin – Abraham Ben Nani, an Israeli businessman – invested in the development of a huge trade market in Eilat. Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world and shares a border with Russia and China. Maariv newspaper The families of several Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) servicemen killed in the recent Lebanon war accused Dan Halutz, former IDF chief of staff, of negligence and military mismanagement. Maariv reported that during a ceremony paying tribute to the soldiers killed in the 2006 Lebanon War, the fallen soldiers' families accused Halutz – who was in attendance – of causing the death of IDF soldiers. The families also expressed anger at the mere presence of the former IDF chief of staff. Haaretz In talks regarding the handling of the Turkey crisis, sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu report that both Netanyahu and the Secretary of Defense agree that the crisis must end. The sources claim that Netanyahu sees the need to find a way to end the crisis with Turkey, and is ready to apologize for the incident during the military operation carried out to intercept the ship "Marmara." The ship was a part of the freedom flotilla designed to break the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip. Ha'aretz reported that the Attorney General Yehuda Feinstein recommends an amicable solution to the Turkey crisis. Emphasizing his recommendation, Yehuda added that the current version of the Committee of Inquiry of the United Nations Report – a dossier outlining the Freedom Flotilla incident – may lead to international trials against Israeli officers and soldiers.
