Thousands of protesters call on Netanyahu to quit over Covid-19 surge
Thousands of demonstrators thronged the streets near the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night as weeks of protests against the Israeli leader showed no signs of slowing.
Throughout the summer, Israelis have regularly taken to the streets to call on Mr Netanyahu to resign, protesting against his handling of the coronavirus crisis and saying he should not remain in office while on trial for corruption charges.
Self-employed workers whose businesses are suffering as a result of the economic crisis also joined Saturday’s march in Jerusalem.
The protest movement intensified in recent weeks, with critics accusing Mr Netanyahu of being distracted by a corruption case against him. He denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Netanyahu, who was sworn in for a fifth term in May after a closely fought election, has accused the protesters of trampling on democracy, and the Israeli media of encouraging dissent.
His right-wing Likud party on Saturday called the protests “left-wing riots” and accused Israel’s popular Channel 12 news of “doing everything it can to encourage the far-left demonstrations”.
“Netanyahu is fighting to get Israel’s economy back to normal and to transfer funds and grants to Israeli citizens,” Likud said.
Protests spread beyond Mr Netanyahu’s official residence, with many Israelis gathering on bridges and motorway junctions throughout the country.
The rallies came as reports in Israeli media suggested that Mr Netanyahu is considering forming a new right-wing party in the event of a new election.
The prime minister’s Likud Party announced that yesterday’s weekly Cabinet meeting had been called off because of disagreements with its chief coalition partner, the Blue and White Party.
The sides have been feuding over the national budget, and if they cannot reach a deal by late this month, Israel will be forced into an early election.
Likud and Blue and White have repeatedly squabbled since forming a coalition government in May.
While Blue and White leader Benny Gantz defended the protesters, Mr Netanyahu dismisses them as anarchists inciting violence against him.
Mr Netanyahu’s son Yair caused a public uproar when he described the protesters as aliens. Many protesters on Saturday dressed up as visitors from outer space to mock the comments.
Last week, a Jerusalem court issued a restraining order against Yair, preventing him from harassing protest leaders, after he tweeted their private addresses.
While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, there were signs of violence in previous weeks.
Some protesters clashed with police, accusing them of using excessive force, while small gangs of Netanyahu supporters affiliated with a far-right group assaulted demonstrators.
Recent gatherings, however, took place without incident.
Israel won praise for its initial response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the government came under criticism when there was a resurgence in cases after restrictions began being lifted in late April.
Mr Netanyahu admitted that the economy was re-opened too quickly.
Israel has so far recorded more than 82,500 confirmed cases, including nearly 600 deaths.
Demonstrators dressed up as visitors from outer space after Mr Netanyahu’s son Yair described them as aliens