Thousands of Israelis took to the streets across the country on Saturday night, November 23, for another consecutive week of protests against the far-right government and demanding the release of 101 hostages still held captive in Gaza. Protests were held around the country alongside the Tel Aviv rallies, including in Rehovot, Beersheba, Modi’in, Haifa, Kfar Sava, Ofakim, Kiryat Gat, Zikhron Yaacov, Jerusalem, Hemed Interchange near Jerusalem, Karkur, Haogen Junction, Beit Raban Junction, Nahalal, Shaar Hanegev and other localities.
At Karkur Junction, anti-government protesters said two activists had been detained for blocking the road, while in northern Tel Aviv, anti-government protesters said one person was detained while demonstrating outside the home of racist Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf.
“Stop the massacre”, anti-war protestors in Jerusalem, Friday, November 22, 2024 (Photo: Free Jerusalem)
In central Tel Aviv, in front of the Begin Road entrance to the army headquarters, thousands of anti-government protesters chant slogans demanding an end to the war in Gaza and Lebanon and a deal to release the hostages. Einav Zangauker charged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “needs the war to continue so he can avoid trial.” The prime minister is due to begin giving testimony at his criminal trial in early December after a court denied his request to delay it due to the multifront conflict. “Netanyahu doesn’t care about his citizens who are in Hamas captivity,” Zangauker continued, “and he doesn’t care about the soldiers who fall in battle. He only cares about his government.”
Among the protestors, several Hadash and Communist Party of Israel members. Ido Elam, the leading member of the Communist youth in Tel-Aviv called during the Partnership for Peace gathering aside the Begin Road protest for a prisoner exchange deal now. “We must resist the cycle of blood, be aware of the suffering and violence around us, and refuse to partake in it. My refusal is an immediate and direct call to turn away from evil: end the war in Gaza and Lebanon, the destruction of Palestinian homes, the starvation, the settler violence, settlement expansion, and the expulsion of Palestinians. End it now!” he said.
On Friday, protestors against the war in Jerusalem blocked the road, demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and chanted: “Security will not be achieved on the corpses of children.” During the demonstration against the massacre in Gaza, the protesters called for Israeli soldiers to refuse service in the occupation army and were beaten by police officers. “We’ve taken to the streets of Jerusalem once again to demand an end to the war crimes our government is committing in Gaza and Lebanon. The police are attacking us, as they always do, but we’re not going anywhere,” they said.
Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32261
