Police fire water cannon at Tel Aviv protesters
Thousands rally against Netanyahu and his government
Israeli police have used water cannon and made 19 arrests to disperse protests demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Sunday as the anti-Netanyahu protest movement that faded following the Hamas attacks on October 7 regained traction.
About 10,000 protested in Tel Aviv. Police responded with water cannon and mounted police rounded up protesters and arrested 16 with clashes turning violent in the city.
In Caesarea, about 50km north of Tel Aviv, about 1000 gathered at the home of the Prime Minister. One protester there was held overnight.
It is not known where the other two arrests were made.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters came out on the streets last year after Netanyahu unveiled plans to reform Israel’s supreme court, a move many feared would remove the system of checks and balances retaining the Prime Minister’s power.
Those protests subsided after the Hamas attacks of October 7, with many Israelis saying they would set aside political differences for the duration of war.
Now that a truce appears to be crumbling, issues such as the Government’s failure to prevent the Hamas attacks and the exemption of religious Jews from the Army have become sticking points amidst a war claiming many more lives than expected.
Josh Drill, a leader of Change Generation, a protest group calling for new elections, said: “The Israeli Government failed the Israeli people, and we the Change Generation are setting out to the streets to demand a new responsible Israeli leadership”.
“This Government oversaw the worst disaster in Israel’s history. Yet, those in charge on October 7 are still in charge today. Those who had their eyes closed to reality on October 7 still have their eyes closed today, so we are telling Netanyahu and [Minister of National Security Itamar] BenGvir, and everyone in government, open your eyes to what Israel needs, and go home.”
Daniel Hacklai, a lawyer who helps the protesters, said the police had used “excessive force” and unlawfully refused permission for protesters to go to a place known since last year as Democracy Point in north Tel Aviv. “The limitations on protest are very problematic from a democratic, human rights point of view.”
Police said officers took action at Tel Aviv after a small group of protesters “breached fences, threw a smoke grenade towards the junction, and activated a gas grenade” and another group tried to block traffic.
A poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute in January found a majority of Israelis want elections brought forward. The next parliamentary vote is due in November 2026.
One protester in Democracy Point said: “There would be way more protesters on the streets if it wasn’t for the fact that Bibi [Netanyahu] has a way of making people feel guilty.
“He tells us that we’ll lose the war if we have elections now, so people are afraid. We are losing soldiers all the time, and we have hostages in Gaza, so it’s his psychological war against us, and when people are already afraid, it works.”
The resurgence of domestic opposition comes as Netanyahu faces increasing international pressure. United States President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he believed Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its war against Hamas.
The US leader said “[Netanyahu] must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken”.