“Elections! Now!”, “Bring back the hostages! Now!”: Thousands demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening to demand the departure of Benjamin Netanyahu’s “corrupt” government and to heal the wounds of a “broken country”. The shock of October 7.
Politics and emotions are intimately linked in the demonstration, between the acerbic slogans against the Israeli Prime Minister and the petition written everywhere on T-shirts and banners: “Bring the hostages home!”. To date, 130, of whom 31 are believed to have died, are still detained in Gaza, according to Israeli authorities.
The crowd, overall quite elderly, brought together men and women accustomed to the monster demonstrations that have rocked Israel for months to protest against the justice reforms sought by Mr. Netanyahu. That was before October 7, “a century ago,” one woman sighed.
Since then, a bloody attack by Hamas in Israel and a retaliatory war in Gaza have swept everything and reinforced the anger and frustration of demonstrators in Tel Aviv.
“We are a broken country,” said Ora, a psychologist in her 60s who did not want to give her name.
“Netanyahu and his government are destroying this country,” added Israel Alva, a former soldier converted to selling medical equipment.
Everywhere, the same observation of a “huge gap” between the people and their government.
“After what happened on October 7, this government cannot stay in power,” explains Shai Gill, a 50-year-old airline pilot. “Their motivations are driven by their desire to cling to power, not by what’s good for this country,” he added.
Often grandparents, exhibitors highlight the future of their grandchildren.
“We have no future with this government and this prime minister. It is corrupt, brutal, violent,” Meera Smalley, 64, says with a faint smile.
Many remember that Benjamin Netanyahu, accused of fraud and corruption, will face justice if he has to leave power. And some this week evoked a definitive report by a commission of inquiry that established Mr Netanyahu’s “personal responsibility” in the April 2021 tragedy at Mount Meron, where 45 pilgrims died in a stampede.
“Netanyahu has always governed with this attitude of ‘I’m not responsible,'” says Shai Gil.
– “peace and quiet” –
“Election! Now! Now!” “Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on the government”, chanted the crowd tirelessly in the procession, which ended with scenes of tension. After the highway was temporarily blocked by about a hundred people, sixteen of whom were arrested, police dispersed the demonstration with water cannons.
The war in Gaza, launched in retaliation after a Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,160 people, mostly civilians, is a more delicate subject to address, according to an AFP report based on official data.
Some are openly calling for a ceasefire “now” so that the hostages can be freed. Others go further, such as Shai Gil: “We must find a solution with the Palestinians, not with Hamas, but with those who are for peace or at least for coexistence.”
“We have no choice,” adds Israel Alva. “We shouldn’t start a war if we don’t have a political plan behind it,” he says.
“What’s happening in Gaza tears my heart out,” says psychologist Ora, who hesitates for a moment before deciding that a ceasefire is necessary. According to Hamas’ Ministry of Health, Israeli military operations killed about 31,000 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians.
With talks stalled to seal a truce ahead of Ramadan, which begins next week, Daniel Goldrich, a 23-year-old musician, finds it “difficult” to make a decision. “We want the return of the hostages and then we need peace, we need peace,” he said.
Published March 9 at 10:02 p.m., AFP
