This Sunday, more than 100,000 people gathered in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem in what is considered by Hebrew media as the largest demonstration since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
This demonstration comes after Israeli law enforcement violently disrupted protests that took place on Saturday night on Begin Street in Tel Aviv, where a police official called for them to be banned and made illegal, a first since the beginning of these gatherings.
This event is accompanied by numerous others, more modest anti-government demonstrations happening simultaneously throughout the city. It marks almost six months since the Hamas invasion on October 7th. Protesters plan to build a “tent city” at the Knesset after the rally, to continue the protest throughout the upcoming week.
The demonstrations will take place around the Knesset and near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem.
Earlier in the day, one of the organizers of this gathering, identified as Mr. Radman, told a small group on social media that the goal of the rallies was to shake things up and pressure the government to hold elections before Independence Day, on May 13th and 14th.
Asked about the potential impact of these demonstrations on Mr. Netanyahu’s decisions, Radman stated that the prime minister “cannot listen” due to his concerns for his political survival, but he hopes that coalition members will hear and understand that elections are necessary for the country to recover from this disaster.
This rally aims to call for the release of the 130 hostages from October 7th, but also demands the resignation of Netanyahu and his government, as well as early elections in Israel.
SB
