Netanyahu protested in Tel Aviv

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government policies have enabled Hamas to strengthen, protesters argued, carrying banners that read "Netanyahu, your government is from hell," "We can only win without Netanyahu," and "Give up Netanyahu and get the (Israeli) hostages (in Gaza) back."

POLICE INTERVENED

Protesters frequently chanted "We want early elections now" and "Shame on you (Netanyahu)." Some of the protesters who then began marching blocked traffic on Ayalon Road, one of the city's main arteries.

Israeli police intervened against the protesters, forcibly removing those who were staging a sit-in on the road to clear it. Following a scuffle between the protesters and the police, 4 protesters were detained.

Speaking to an AA reporter, one of the protesters, Yahiam Prior, said that the Israeli government failed against Hamas on October 7.

Prior, who works as a scientist at the Weizmann Institute, said, "Now they are also mismanaging the economy and society, and they have no plans for the future. The most important thing is the future."

"NETANYAHU WANTS TO PROLONG THE WAR"

Stating that the war will eventually end one day, Prior noted the following:

"When you reach this point, you need to have a plan. Then there is a need for some kind of arrangement between us and the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and our neighbors like Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Netanyahu has no such plan. Netanyahu wants to prolong the war to maintain his political position."

When asked whether his criticisms were directed at the ruling coalition government or just Netanyahu, Prior said, "Netanyahu is at the head of the government. He chooses the ministers. Therefore, my criticisms are directed at both Netanyahu and the entire government."

When reminded that Netanyahu has managed to remain in power despite protests against him for years, Prior stated that the situation is different this time and noted the following:

"What happened on October 7 (when Hamas carried out an action against Israel) was horrific (and this happened during Netanyahu's premiership). I don't think the public will remain indifferent to this. Right now, (the anti-government protests) are non-violent and not very widespread because people do not want to protest while the war is ongoing. Soldiers who are at war cannot organize protests. However, in the coming weeks and months, you will witness millions of people organizing protests."

"NETANYAHU STOLE THE PUBLIC'S MONEY"

Another Israeli who participated in the protest, named Anna Goldman, accused Netanyahu of "failing to ensure Israel's security and stealing (the public's) money."

Stating that she had criticisms of Netanyahu even before the attacks on the Gaza Strip began, Anna said, "(Regarding the aid Qatar provided to the Gaza Strip) Netanyahu gave the millions of dollars he received from Qatar to Hamas."

Anna said, "Netanyahu is prolonging the war to keep his seat and cannot ensure Israel's security."

Reminding that some of the Israeli hostages in Gaza were released as a result of negotiations, Anna said that negotiations should be held with "all parties, including Hamas," for the release of the other hostages.

ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS ALSO SUPPORTED THE ACTION

A group that opposes the attacks on Gaza also supported the anti-Netanyahu demonstration.

One of these anti-war protesters, Cindy Anna, said she agreed with the criticisms that Israel is committing a massacre in Gaza.

Anna said, "There is no military solution to this problem (the Israeli-Palestinian issue). Hamas committed a massacre on October 7. War cannot bring back the (Israeli) hostages (in Gaza). We must reach peace by negotiating."

The anti-war group of about three hundred people then left the area and continued their protest at another location.