Tel Aviv

In the crazy schedule of back to back meetings last week in Tel Aviv I managed to take a detour to see the 100's of people camping out in the city centre. It's a surreal sight. Like what you'd expect a UN humanitarian camp to look like, crossed with the atmosphere of Woodstock and Glastonbury.

It's the equivalent of 100's of people living on Oxford Street in London. They're protesting over the high cost of living in Israel. Everything from the price of cottage cheese to property prices have rocketed in recent years making it almost impossible for people to live in the country on a normal income. People are demanding big changes to the tax system and in government spending.

It's good to see people taking a stand in a peaceful way. Especially after the pointless looting that's going on back home. The protest has gained widespread support with over 250,000 people getting involved. There are marches taking place weekly in towns and villages throughout the country.

The protest started as a Facebook campaign which grew and grew. It follows the boycott of cottage cheese recently, another Facebook campaign, which forced supermarkets to cut their prices across Israel. In light of the debate that's going on around human rights and social media in the UK, it's heartening to see some positive stories balancing the bad and the mindless.

Nick Couch

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14433245
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14344515