- JERUSALEM: Israel’s president has stepped into a burgeoning popular revolt over rising prices and expensive housing, hosting a televised meeting with young leaders of the protests.
President Shimon Peres welcomed the casually dressed demonstrators into his official residence Monday. As TV cameras broadcast the session, he appealed to them to negotiate a solution, pledging that he would help mediate.
The youthful leaders were respectful toward the 87-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner and vowed to keep demonstrating within the limits of the law.
A wave of protests has swept the country as university students and others express anger over a wide range of social issues, especially prohibitively high housing costs.
About 150,000 Israelis took to the streets around the country Saturday night.
