ABNA24 - Anti-government protests in Tel Aviv over the past two days continued as the protesters have voiced the surging discontent with the performance of the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wars against Iran and Lebanon. The demonstrations caught attention as the protesters raised posters of "Pinocchio Netanyahu", accusing the PM of dishonesty, lying, and corruption.
In one neighborhood of the capital Tel Aviv, a protester among the crowds stood on a ladder wearing a poster mask of Netanyahu with Pinocchio nose and rabbit ears.
Hundreds of protesters also called for early elections as they described Netanyahu’s function as PM "catastrophic."
Feeling of loss to Hezbollah
The results from the war against Iran and the recent ceasefire with Lebanon has apparently infuriated Israeli hardliners against Netanyahu.
Many residents of northern communities, which are on the border with Lebanon, say the truce with Hezbollah will only prolong the insecurity of their towns. They accuse Netanyahu of agreeing to a ceasefire while the shadow of horror Hezbollah has created still looms over Israel. In the wake of Netanyahu’s announcement accepting the Lebanon ceasefire, Avihai Stern, the mayor of a northern Israeli region, dispatched ten buses full of protesters to Tel Aviv.
A statement from northern Israeli residents captures their fury at Netanyahu over the ceasefire deal. “For more than two years,” they said, “our children have endured instability, displacement, and long stays in shelters, with no security solution in sight. An agreement taking shape under the US leadership and Iran’s initiative is a political victory for the Lebanese state and a defeat for us. We are nobody’s pawns.”
Meanwhile, nearly a third of the population of Kiryat Shmona in the northern occupied territories, close to the Lebanese border, roughly 26,000 people, have not returned since their evacuation in 2023.
Fury with Iran war results
The Israelis are also steamed up by the outcomes of the anti-Iranian war Netanyahu and his staunch backer Donald Trump waged. Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai announced that over 1,000 housing units have been rendered uninhabitable as a result of the war with Iran. Channel 12, citing Huldai, reported that thousands of houses are left uninhabitable as they were struck by the Iranian missiles and drones.
The report adds that some of the missiles and shrapnel from interception operations struck buildings in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, and Bnei Brak, causing material damage to properties and vehicles. Ron Huldai announced that the damage resulted from direct hits by Iranian missiles and drones, as well as fragments from interceptions. The mayor stressed that reconstruction and resettlement urgently require government support.
Huldai also criticized the scale of destruction and the long periods people have spent in shelters, calling the situation “devastating.” Earlier, the Hebrew-language news outlet reported that the Israeli Finance Ministry Bezalel Smortrich had estimated the cost of 40 days of war against Iran and Lebanon at roughly $17.5 billion.
These preliminary figures do not include expected reconstruction operations or the loss of GDP due to the partial economic shutdown during the war. Hebrew media reported that about 30,000 Israelis have filed claims for direct property damage compensation with the tax compensation fund, including 18,408 cases of building damage, 2,594 cases of equipment damage, and 6,617 cases of vehicle damage.
Last week, the economic website Calcalist reported that the June 2025 war against Iran—which lasted only 12 days, had already run up roughly 3 billion shekels (about $1 billion) in corporate compensation claims.
Hebrew media outlets, including Haaretz, have also reported extensive damage to infrastructure and properties. According to these sources, thousands of buildings and vehicles have been hit in missile and drone attacks, placing heavy financial burdens on state institutions, including national funds and Israel’s insurance systems.
Aljazeera, citing Israeli outlets, reported that the Israeli officials warn that the economic fallout of the war can transform into a long-term crisis. Increased rebuilding costs, disruption of the economic activities, and pressure on the public budget are factors that can leave the Israeli economy facing serious challenges in the coming months.
Netanyahu’s post-war conditions
Eruption of anti-Netanyahu protests in the conditions following Iran and Lebanon wars showed that he is on a tight spot in the Israeli politics. A poll conducted by Channel 12 shows that 56 percent of the Israelis do not want Netanyahu retain the PM post.
Ma'ariv newspaper in a analytical report lashed out at how the Israeli officials are dealing with the southern Lebanon clashes, saying that "Roar of Lion", as boasted about by the security cabinet, ended up as a "Cat's Meow" with humiliating war results for Israel.
Israeli author and political analyst Ben Caspit has spoken up against Netanyahu, holding him responsible for the security and political setbacks, especially on the northern front with Lebanon. He added that the PM's policies are what have driven the situation to a catastrophe. Caspit further held that Trump's problem is with saying the reality, including not admitting that Hezbollah’s disarming is impossible by solely relying on military option and also his avoiding to accept failure in managing the security case, especially protecting the northern settlements, whose settlers have been displaced as war unfolded.
So, now that war against Iran and Lebanon is ceased by a truce, Netanyahu is squeezed by growing pressure at home and odds are they will push him to the brink of collapse.
/129
Your Comment