Thousands of protesters demonstrated on Saturday evening, November 28, against far-right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at intersections, on overpasses and in squares across Israel, as weekly demonstrations continued for the 23rd consecutive week.
Young communists take part in the Tel Aviv demonstration against the far-right government, Saturday night, November 28, 2020. The Hadash placards read: (right) “Democracy for All,” (left) “When the government is against the people, the people are against the government.” (Photo: Zu Haderech)
In Jerusalem, some 4,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Prime Minister’s Official Residence on Balfour Street. In Tel Aviv, several hundred protested in Rabin Square, in Jaffa and at other at locations throughout the city. A thousand protestors also rallied outside the prime minister’s private residence in Caesarea. Demonstrations also took place in Holon, Acre and in the Arab towns of Taibeh, Umm al-Fahm, Shefamr and Kafr Yassif, where Hadash and Communist Party activists held “red flag protests” calling on the prime minister to resign amidst his inciting of racism and the corruption charges for which he’s been indicted and is currently on trial.
Some clashes were reported between protesters and right-wing counter-demonstrators in Ness Ziona, south of Tel Aviv, where Netanyau supporters heckled his opponents calling them “left-wing traitors.” In Caesarea, Likud supporters incited against the protesters, hurling insults at them and accusing them of treason.
Earlier on Saturday, two convoys involving some 200 cars were launched, one from Caesarea near Netanyahu’s private residence, the other from the Bilu junction near Rehovot. The cars bore Israeli flags and makeshift submarines, symbolizing the prime minister’s alleged involvement in the tainted procurement of numerous vessels of this type for which he has yet to be indicted. Both convoys made their way to Jerusalem to protest outside the High Court of Justice to demand the formation of a state commission of inquiry that would probe the “submarine affair,” also known as Case 3000, involving allegations of a massive bribery scheme in a multibillion-shekel state purchase from the German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp. Investigation of the case has already resulted in indictments against several close associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as high-ranking military officials. Many former security officials have spoken out against Netanyahu’s conduct in the affair, and it has become a rallying cry for critics of the prime minister who believe he is totally corrupt.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s son Yair, known for his combative and controversial social media activity, appeared on Saturday to compare the Black Flag movement — one of the main groups protesting against his father — to the Islamic State terror group. “I’ve realized why the convoys of Black Flags are familiar to me,” the younger Netanyahu wrote, sharing a Likud campaign video from 2015 that featured supposed members of Islamic State waving the organization’s black flag.
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