Thousands hold nationwide protests to call for resignation of Israel PM Netanyahu
On Saturday, once again, large crowds gathered in the streets of Israel to express their discontent with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing policies. Chanting slogans like "We won't give up" and "Government of Evil," protesters marched through the city centres of Tel Aviv and Haifa, demanding Netanyahu's resignation due to his handling of the Gaza conflict.
- Middle East
- DPA
- Published Date: 11:03 | 06 January 2024
- Modified Date: 12:09 | 07 January 2024
"We won't give up" and "Government of Evil" were among the slogans shouted by demonstrators in Tel Aviv and Haifa during rallies through the city centres.
Israel was rocked by a wave of mass protests last year, following controversial reform plans by Netanyahu's right-wing religious government coalition to weaken the judiciary.
Those protests were largely put on hold following the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Israeli border communities. Now protests cover a range of grievances, with the war in Gaza looming largest. Many are also demanding a swift return to negotiations over the release of more hostages.
However, as Israel's military campaign to eliminate Hamas from Gaza is about to enter into its fourth month, protesters were joined by relatives of some of those killed on October 7, as well as people who have been displaced from their homes near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon due to the fighting.
A resident of Kiriat Schmona in northern Israel near the Lebanese border, which has seen repeated confrontations between Lebanon's Hezbollah militia, an ally of Hamas, and Israeli forces since the outbreak of the Gaza war, accused Netanyahu of having failed to take responsibility for the October 7 massacre, according to the Haaretz newspaper.
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