Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem on Monday to demand elections and the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza, a move sparked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent decision to disband his war cabinet.
The protests outside the Knesset highlight the competing pressures facing Israel’s prime minister from conflicting elements of Israeli society.
Last week, two relatively moderate members resigned from the emergency war cabinet formed by Netanyahu after the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, citing differences over the conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza. Far-right members of Netanyahu’s coalition called on him to appoint them to the war cabinet, but on Sunday the prime minister informed ministers at a wider cabinet meeting that he would disband the body, according to Israeli officials.
A crowd in front of the Israeli parliament on Monday Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition in parliamentVideos posted on social media showed some marchers holding banners saying they were “leading the country into tomorrow,” a reference to the end of the Gaza war.
Israeli police said in a statement that they helped facilitate the rally near the parliament building and that no arrests had been made so far.
However, the clashes appeared to intensify when some protesters interrupted their march to march toward Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem and broke through police barricades. Anti-government activists frequently gathered there throughout the war.
Activists chanted “You are the chief, you are to blame” in front of the prime minister’s residence. Photos showed some of them gathered around a bonfire. Police used water cannon and at least nine people were arrested. Israeli police said in a statement that some protesters attacked police officers, some of whom were slightly injured.
Israeli police said it “will continue to allow lawful freedom of expression and protest, but will not allow violations of public order and the creation of disturbances,” noting the fire.
This week’s protests by anti-government activists are unrelated to the weekly Saturday night rallies in Tel Aviv, which are organized by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of Gaza hostages. The group held another meeting in Sderot on Monday to discuss how to bring the hostages home.
Anti-government activists plan to hold another protest in front of Israel’s Knesset building on Tuesday.
