Enlarge image
Protesters at a rally against Prime Minister Netanyahu
Photo: Abir Sultan / EPA
Fourth day in a row: Thousands of Israelis protested on Tuesday evening against the government and for an agreement to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Protesters gathered near the parliament building in Jerusalem with torches in hand. They also called for new elections again. The mother of a kidnapped man reportedly accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of standing in the way of a hostage deal in a speech.
According to police reports, several people tried to march to Netanyahu's private home and break through police barriers. One person managed to do this. But no one got to the Prime Minister's house. A demonstrator threw a flare at the police cavalry squadron. According to the information, no one was injured. Media reported that the forces violently dispersed some demonstrators, including the daughter-in-law of a man who had been kidnapped in the Gaza Strip.
There have been large-scale anti-government rallies in Jerusalem since Sunday. Demonstrators also set up 100 tents in front of Parliament as part of the protest that lasted several days. On Saturday, people also demonstrated against Netanyahu's leadership in Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities. Relatives of the hostages repeatedly accuse him of not having a serious interest in securing their release.
Israel's conservative head of government rejects the criticism. He recently said that he was obliged to bring all the hostages home. A new election, in turn, would paralyze negotiations over the release of more hostages and "bring about an end to the war before the goals are achieved," said Netanyahu. Israel wants to destroy the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
For weeks, the USA, Qatar and Egypt have been mediating between Israel and Hamas in order to achieve a new ceasefire and an exchange of hostages kidnapped from Israel for Palestinian prisoners. According to Israeli estimates, almost 100 people kidnapped by the Islamist organization are still alive.
dop/dpa