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In Israel, dissatisfaction with the government led to a general strike and massive demonstrations.
Tel Aviv airport, schools and offices closed their doors, hospitals only provided emergency treatment.
The demonstrators demanded solutions to the war, a change of government and the restoration of the rule of law.
Netanyahu’s government has been bombing Gaza for 11 months, but few hostages have been released.
in Israel the long-simmering dissatisfaction with the government reached new proportions over the weekend, when the country’s largest trade union encouraged its members to join a general strike against the government.
As a result, Tel Aviv International Airport was only partially operational on Monday, schools and many agencies have closed their doors, and several hospitals refused to provide non-urgent treatment, tells the American newspaper The New York Times.
In addition, there were demonstrations in different parts of the country on both sides of the weekend, in which hundreds of thousands of people participated.
Israeli Research director of the Mitvim think tank Roee Kibrik too those who took to the streets and went on strike have different goals.
“We have people who want solutions to the war. Others want to change the government. Some still are [mukana] due to the seizure of the rule of law, some focus on the hostages, some on what’s happening in the north,” describes Kibrik.
However, everyone is united by disappointment with the current government.
To understand the big picture, you have to step back a bit.
People gathered in the streets across Israel on Sunday. Demonstrators demand the return home of hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
of Israel the government was facing strong headwinds even before the October attacks.
The far-right government was the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu led the country through significant reforms that undermine the rule of law. For example, it tried to give Parliament the power to overturn Supreme Court decisions.
“The liberal part of Israeli society fought back and organized demonstrations for 40 weeks straight,” Kibrik describes.
After the protest spring and summer, October came. Hamas and other Islamist organizations killed 1,200 people in terrorist attacks on Israel.
Kibrik says that many who were already dissatisfied felt that the government did not take care of Israelis in the middle of the crisis.
Many were also shocked that the attacks happened at all. How did one of the world’s best intelligence services fail to prevent terrorist attacks?
In addition to the casualties, Hamas took 250 people hostage in Gaza in connection with the attack.
It is their fate that is at the center of the protests that have been going on for months.
Netanyahu the government’s strategy from the beginning has been to bring the hostages home by military means. It has bombed Gaza almost non-stop for 11 months, killing more than 40,000 Palestinians in the region. At least 26,000 children are dead or injured.
Still, only a handful of hostages have been brought back alive.
That’s why the measure of many Israelis was met when the Israeli army said over the weekend that it had found the bodies of six hostages kidnapped by Hamas. According to the IDF, they had been shot dead just days before they were found.
Part of the return was already agreed upon in the ceasefire agreement currently on the table, which Netanyahu has not signed.
People went on strike and into the streets.
Despite the fate of the hostages, the government still has its supporters.
In Tel Aviv, police used a water cannon against protesters on Sunday.
Kibrik says that there are several political forces sitting in the Israeli government, which are served by the prolongation of the war in Gaza.
The people of the settlement see it as an opportunity to continue expanding the illegal Jewish settlements on the West Bank. For Netanyahu himself, it is a way to avoid prison, where he might end up on charges of bribery and fraud.
As a continuation of the group, he adds a surpri
sing name.
“[Hamasin johtaja Yahya] of Sinwar and Netanyahu’s interests are the same. They want to prolong the war”, says Kibrik.
“They did that even before October 7th – they made sure that there was no compromise between the Israelis and the Palestinians. They worked together to block any kind of peace process.”
Kibrik says that the current war is not between Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, according to him, the liberals from both camps, the people who defend peace and democracy and the religious fundamentalists are on the opposite side.
On Monday Netanyahu apologized for his failure to return the hostages.
Kibrik says the coming days will show whether the protesters manage to increase the pressure on the government so hard that something happens.
Kibrik hopes the protests will give strength to those who can oppose the government, but help is needed.
“Could the international community help the people on the streets get rid of these fanatics?”
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