More than 150,000 take to streets across Israel against Netanyahu and for social justice
More than 150,000 people took to the streets yesterday (Saturday) night to protest the spiraling costs of living in Israel, against the Netanyahu government and for social justice. Marches and rallies took place in eleven cities across the country, with the largest ones taking place in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Be'er Sheva and Haifa. The protesters chanted "the people demand social justice", "Bibi (Benyamin Netanyahu) go home!" and "we want justice, not charity."
Flags and Hadash banners in the Tel-Aviv demonstration (Photo: Activestills)
The biggest protest was in Tel Aviv, where 120,000 march from HaBima Square to the Tel Aviv Museum. Thousands of protesters carrying red flags and Hadash banners: "People before profits" and "The government against the people – The people against the government". "We are very happy to see the Israeli people go out into the streets," said Yonatan Levy, one of the organizers. "We were amazed to see throughout the day that the issues that were raised on the different stages and tent cities are not so removed from each other after all."
Ahead of the social protests across the country, MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resign. "The Netanyahu government that is leading [with] policies that enrich the tycoons and damage the vast majority of citizens needs to go home today," Khenin said to journalists during the rally.
"A struggle that began in Tel Aviv has spread to Israeli cities from the North to the South," he added. "This struggle will not be stopped with candies and won't fold from [political] spin. The people demand social justice."
In Haifa, 10,000 people marched through the city. In Jerusalem, 15,000 protesters marched from Horse Park to the house of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. In Be'er Sheva, 3,000 protesters marched carrying banners saying "Be'er Sheva is shouting times seven." "Sheva" is the Hebrew word for the number seven. In Ashdod, protesters marched from City Park. Around 150 people gathered at Ashdod's tent city on their way to the march. Students from Beit Barl marched from the tent city at Kfar Sava to central Ra'anana junction. In Nazareth, a common Arab-Jewish protest was held in the center of the city by Hadash and communists activists. In Kiryat Shmona, neat the Lebanese border, 1,000 protesters marched in the city's main road, towards the southern exit of the city. Many prominent Israeli musicians performed at the rallies, including Hemi Rodner, Dan Toren, Yehuda Poliker, Barry Sakharov Yishai Levi, Aviv Geffen, and others.
Hundreds of people continued their protest Saturday night in Tel Aviv, long after the protest rally ended. At noon demonstrators blocked the city's Kaplan and Ibn Gabirol streets, chanting "The people demand social justice." Around 1:30am, after failing to negotiate a peaceful end to the rally, which showed no signs of winding down, the Tel Aviv police began forcibly dispersing the protesters. The protesters began booing the officers and chanted "No, we won't go," and "Police state." Several protesters rioted and 12 were detained.
Thousands of doctors and residents protested today (Sunday) at the Rose Garden opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem, demanding a solution to the crisis in the health care system. Israel Medical Association chairman Dr. Leonid Eidelman, who has been on a hunger strike for nearly a week, was first to speak. "For nine months we have been negotiating, and there is still no agreement," he said. "The treasury keeps saving money on the health care sector's expense. You doctors work hard, and although we have made progress in formulating the agreement, we still haven't agreed on the principal issues – standardization, the cost of the agreement, the division of payments and the earnings."