Housing protests return to heart of Tel Aviv

Dozens of Israelis pitched tents in Tel Aviv on Sunday protesting high housing prices, Qods News Agency reports.

High prices of housing has already turned into a key issue in campaigning for a March 17 election.

The protest on a main boulevard erupted four days after Israeli audit body published a report finding "significant deficiencies" that have pushed up housing prices - a problem dogging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bid for re-election.

Shai Cohen, the Israeli who spearheaded the protest, said on his Facebook page he was calling the event to protest his own inability to afford to buy a flat.

"We will stay here until we achieve our goals," AFP quoted Cohen as saying when asked how long the protest would last.

The protest was reminiscent of a similar demonstration against a housing shortage in 2011 that ignited social protests of unprecedented size in Israel.

Israeli pollsters see public anger at high living costs as a major factor for voters in the general election.