They will not move until the hostages held in Gaza are released and Benjamin Netanyahu has resigned. Since the deadly attack perpetrated on October 7 by Hamas Islamists, dozens of Israelis have taken turns tirelessly for a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv.
This uninterrupted vigil is being held on Kaplan Avenue at the initiative of a collective created to denounce the “fiasco” of “Bibi”, the nickname in Israel of the Prime Minister, and demand his resignation.
Two tents with raised side panels were erected in front of the facade of the building. The largest faces the entrance guarded by two soldiers who filter the comings and goings. The other is located a little further up the avenue where tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated from January, every Saturday evening for 39 weeks, against a government judicial reform deemed “undemocratic”.
Throughout the day, from early in the morning until late in the evening, dozens of Israelis who have spread the word to maintain a constant presence, sign petitions, distribute leaflets and brandish signs hostile to the prime minister .
Further away, a third barnum is held by religious Jews, traditional supporters of “Bibi” who, for some, since October 7, also want her departure.
“All these people (the hostages, Editor’s note) must come home. This government has failed colossally. These kidnapped people […]it’s unbearable,” said Mona Hanoch, 58, in Israel for 15 years and who comes here every day on her bike to demonstrate her opposition to “Bibi,” while choking her sobs.
It shows the surrounding wall of the Ministry of Defense where photos of most of the 199 hostages kidnapped by Hamas during its bloody aggression in Israeli towns along the Gaza Strip have been pasted, which killed more than 1,400 dead, the vast majority Israeli civilians.
“Blood on his hands”
“This is a collective tragedy like we have never known. I trusted this man (Mr. Netanyahu, Editor’s note) for 15 years with the lives of my children,” adds Mona Hanoch, an American who says she was living in New York on September 11, 2001.
She criticizes the prime minister, the longest-serving in Israel’s history with 16 years at the head of government, for “his ego” and for being “obsessed” with his “heritage.” “That’s his legacy… Blood on his hands,” she whispers before getting on her bike.
Nearby, sitting on a plastic chair, Cindy Cohen, 65, holds up a sign reading: “Prisoner exchange agreement now.”
“We must release all the hostages in exchange for all the (Palestinian) prisoners held by Israel,” she adds.
Mr. Netanyahu “absolutely must go. He should have done it already. He deserted, abandoned his country,” she adds.
Yaïr Dickmann, 63, has not missed a single demonstration since January. He says that his daughter-in-law was assassinated on October 7 by Hamas and that his daughter and her partner have been missing since.
“Hate”
“That’s why I’m here.” I cannot accept the fact that a man with three trials on his back (for corruption, Editor’s note) is in charge of state affairs. Our country has been kidnapped by an illegitimate government. I will not be at peace until he is gone,” promises this native of Tel Aviv.
A young man, Nati, 31, waved an Israeli flag at motorists who honked their horns to show their support.
“As soon as this war ends, we will take to the streets to demand Bibi’s departure,” he assures. “Our children were taken away from us and it’s his responsibility.”
Under the religious banner, Yossef Prisman, 29, an Israeli wearing a black kippah on his head, shouts his “hate” of the Prime Minister, to the great surprise of those around him, the Orthodox being present in the government coalition.
“He must resign. But first, I want us to put an end to Hamas, completely, to free the hostages, the families. That’s what we have to do,” he says.
He’s warming up. Tone up. He said he was “ready to risk the lives of the hostages as long as we put an end to Hamas”, before retracting, repeating that “the hostages must be released”.
Nearby, a man waves a sign: “Criminals of the 2023 debacle must be judged.”
Below, a photo shows the prime minister and the most extremist members of his government behind prison bars.