Israeli shops, businesses stage inflation shutdown

Thousands of shops and businesses closed Wednesday in support of a 24-hour strike called by the Israeli Chamber of Commerce. The strike protested government discrimination toward shopkeepers and small businessmen.

The organizers are demanding tax concessions to offset business losses caused by Israel's high inflation rate over the past two years. The Chamber of Commerce organizer, Zvi Amit, said more than 100,000 shops and businesses obeyed the strike call.