(Jerusalem) Thousands of demonstrators gathered Sunday evening in front of the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the second demonstration in two days, with clashes with the police, noted AFP journalists.
Police used water cannons to clear a road blocked by angry protesters waving Israeli flags and lighting fires. “Elections!” “, Netanyahu “must go!” and “Bring back (the hostages) now!” », shouted the protesters.
Anger against the prime minister for his management of the country after the Hamas attack on October 7 in Israel has reached an extreme point, said Dana Rabfogel Shor, 44, from Tel Aviv.
“People are angry, they are tired, they want elections. They accuse Bibi (Netanyahu) and the government who say they are not responsible for anything,” she explained, holding a large photo of her distant cousin, Itay Svirsky, killed on October 7.
This gathering included demonstrators demanding the departure of the government and families of hostages held in Gaza by Hamas. Their organizations have warned that they will take to the streets in Jerusalem every evening for the next few days.
At the time of Sunday’s demonstration, Benjamin Netanyahu was giving a press conference. “Elections now, in the midst of war, would paralyze Israel for at least six months. They would paralyze negotiations for the release of our hostages […]the first to welcome it would be Hamas,” he declared.