07/07/2024 – 10:45
Marking nine months since the start of the war in Gaza, triggered by terrorist acts by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the pro-democracy movement is also demanding the dissolution of the Israeli parliament. Nine months after the massacre perpetrated by the Hamas group and the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, pressure is growing on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This Sunday (07/07), declared “Day of the Riots”, protests are taking place across the country demanding an agreement that allows the return of all hostages, as well as the dissolution of the federal parliament Knesset and the calling of early elections.
“There will be special protest actions throughout the day and heavy traffic congestion is expected on Israel’s main roads,” the protest movement said. Some of Israel’s major companies, particularly in the technology and financial sectors, had already released their employees to participate in the demonstrations.
The trigger for the protests was the news that, after a long impasse, peace negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States are due to continue in the second week of July.
At issue is a phased plan, beginning with a time-limited cease-fire and the exchange of Israeli hostages — female, elderly and infirm — for a large number of Palestinian prisoners. During the truce, Israel and Hamas would negotiate an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages.
Threat of general strike
Under the slogan “Stop Israel,” the pro-democracy movement set out to bring more than 1 million people onto the streets. Yellow and black gas balloons were released on the border with Gaza, symbolizing the fate of the hostages.
After preliminary demonstrations since Saturday night, the start of the coordinated protests was given at 6:29 am, when the attack by Hamas and other terrorist militias began on October 7, 2023, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and the capture of 253 hostages. Of these, 116 are still being held in Gaza, and it is estimated that most have already died.
Groups of activists have started a demonstration in front of the homes of 18 Knesset members, as well as the ministers of defense, foreign affairs and transport, among others. With chants such as “Wake up, the country is worth more than this”, “Nine months of absolute failure” and “There is blood on your hands”, they are blaming government officials for the victims of the conflict, in addition to the more than 400 Israeli soldiers killed in the clashes in Gaza.
On the other side, according to data from the Gaza Health Department, controlled by Hamas, more than 37,000 Palestinians have already succumbed in the ongoing clashes with Israel since October 7. Around 80% of the Palestinian population has been displaced and is taking refuge in the coastal strip.
On the outskirts of the capital Tel Aviv, another group of protesters gathered outside the residence of Arnon Bar David, president of Israel’s public sector union federation, Histadrut, demanding that he call a general strike to push for early elections.
“Enough talk, it’s time to act,” read posters outside the home of the union leader, who in May said Netanyahu’s coalition government had lost the trust of the people, but added that it was necessary to wait for the right moment for any “drastic action”, referring to a strike.
“Return the hostages and return the mandate”
The day of protests will culminate in the evening with a large demonstration in front of Netanyahu’s residence in the Rehavia neighborhood of Jerusalem and the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, the main headquarters of the army and the Defense Ministry. The families and loved ones of the hostages will demonstrate there.
“Our demand is the simplest of all: return the hostages and return the mandate. From there, it will be up to the people to decide,” announced one of the leaders of the protest movement, Moshe Radman, on the social network X.
“So that a government of Kahanists [movimento supremacista judeu considerado terrorista em Israel, do qual membros do Executivo são simpatizantes] “Do not cancel the hostage return agreement. So that they do not overthrow the country,” appealed Shikma Bressler, another prominent figure in the pro-democracy protest movement created in 2023 against the reform of the judicial system.
Protesters also gather at intersections to block traffic and organize motorcades cutting off major highways, especially those connecting Tel Aviv to other cities on the Mediterranean coast, such as Herzeliya, Netanya, Caesarea and Haifa, as well as to Jerusalem.
On Thursday, thousands had already demonstrated in Jerusalem and other Israeli cities against Netanyahu’s government, accusing the prime minister of sabotaging the hostage release deal and plunging Israel into the abyss.
av (Reuters, Lusa, AFP, DPA)
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