Thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv to denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, which they blame for the recent wave of tensions in the occupied Palestinian lands as well as the Gaza Strip.
On Saturday night, the demonstrators held signs that read, “There is no security without a solution,” as they marched from Habima Square in downtown Tel Aviv to the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry for Military Affairs on Kaplan Street.
Many of the participants were from the activist group, Peace Now, which had organized the event, as well as the left-wing Meretz party, along with several members of the Hadash party and Da’am Workers Party.
The demonstrators also called on the Tel Aviv regime to stop “managing the conflict” and engage in dialogue with the Palestinians instead.
The organizers put the number of people that attended the rally at some 6,000, but Israeli media estimated that 3,000 people were present in the protest rally.
Daniel Dojon, a protester, said he took part in the rally “because the situation is crazy,” adding, “I am not talking about safety but the lack of (political) progress, the lack of hope. Israeli politicians are becoming more and more extreme.”
Another protester, who identified himself as 60-year-old Dov Kredo, said he feels “very pessimistic” about the current situation, adding, “It is much easier for people to answer the call of fear and hatred.”
“Bibi you failed. You failed to provide personal safety for the citizens of Israel, you failed to present a vision that would somehow change this reality,” Zehava Gal-On, a member of Knesset for the left-wing Meretz political party said.
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