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For months, protesters have been staging protests against the prime minister for alleged corruption and his government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tens of thousands of Israelis have once again demonstrated to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying he is unfit to govern while on trial on corruption charges and accusing him of mismanaging the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Protesters gathered in hundreds of locations across Israel on Saturday due to a nationwide lockdown that prevented them from protesting at the usual location outside Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem. Current lockdown regulations allow people to only gather within a kilometer (less than a mile) of their home.
The largest gathering in Habima Square in central Tel Aviv drew thousands of protesters, who blew horns and beat drums and tambourines. The protesters waved pink and black flags symbolizing various grassroots protest movements. Some of the banners, using Netanyahu’s nickname, read: “Bibi, you are destroying my future.” Others read “Let’s go!”
Police reported clashes with protesters in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. At least four were arrested for violating police barriers, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
“The disturbers of the peace clashed with the officers who were standing at the barriers and attacked them while throwing objects at them. Several officers were injured and treated at the scene, ”Haaretz told police.
The Black Flags movement, which had called for the protests, said the demonstrations were scheduled in 1,200 locations across the country.
One of the protest groups warned in a statement that the rally was a “warm-up” for another planned outside Netanyahu’s residence next week, when the ban on protesting beyond a kilometer from the house is lifted.
Corruption trial
Netanyahu is on trial for fraud, breach of trust and taking bribes for his role in a series of scandals, and protesters have held weekly meetings for the past four months to demand his resignation. Netanyahu has denied the charges, accusing the protesters of being “leftists” and “anarchists.”
The marches have also been fueled by the government’s response to the pandemic. After appearing to contain the outbreak earlier this year through a strict lockdown, the government quickly reopened the economy and the infection rate skyrocketed. To date, Israel has recorded 289,875 confirmed coronavirus cases and 1,941 related deaths, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
With infections at record levels, Israel imposed another lockdown last month, further hurting the business owners and entrepreneurs who have been a key component of the protests. The economy has been devastated by the closures and many of the protesters are young Israelis who have lost their jobs.
Netanyahu’s trial, the pandemic and the collapsing economy are adding further pressure on his emergency government, which was formed in May in association with his election rival, Benny Gantz.
The government was destined to tackle the coronavirus crisis and the parties formed it after three inconclusive polls in less than a year. Instead, it has been hampered by nonstop infighting.
Last week, the government’s tourism minister, Gantz’s Blue and White party, resigned for failing to contain the outbreak. Violations of the lockdown by senior government officials, including a Netanyahu Likud cabinet minister and Netanyahu’s wife Sara, last week have further damaged public confidence in the country’s decision-makers.
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