Tens of thousands of protesters gathered Saturday evening (May 18) in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for a rally on Saturday night headlined by world-renowned Israeli popstars. Just a few blocks away, at Kaplan Street, anti-government protesters, including bereaved and hostage families, skirmished with police equipped with horses and water cannons.  

Hadash and Communist Party of Israel at Kaplan Street protest in Tel-Aviv, Saturday evening, May 18, 2024 (Photo: Zo Haderech)

In addition to protests in Tel Aviv, there were protests in Jerusalem, Beersheba, Caesarea, Haifa, Eilat, Beersheba, Nahariya, Rehovot, Netanya, Kfar Sava, Herzliya, Arad and several junctions across the country, among them: Karkur, Hurfeish, Raanana, Haogen and Amiad, “Zo Haderech” noted.

In one incident at the weekly anti-government protest in Tel-Aviv, Gadi Kedem, who lost six of his family members on October 7, was beaten by right-wing activists carrying a sign reading “leftist traitors.” Medics took Kedem to the Ichilov hospital. Racist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responded to the attack Sunday morning in an interview with 103FM, “When I saw pictures of the members of the Kedem family, I saw the same person beating and attacking the right-wing demonstrators.”

At the protest on Saturday night, demonstrators clashed with police at the Azrieli intersection as thousands gathered to demonstrate against the far-right government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 18 activists were detained.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31812

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