THE TELEGRAPH
Israeli police have used water cannon and made 19 arrests to disperse protests demanding the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday evening as the anti-Netanyahu protest movement that faded following the Hamas attacks on Oct 7 regained traction.
About 10,000 came out in protest in Tel Aviv. Police responded with water cannon and mounted police rounded up protesters and arrested 16 with clashes turning violent in the city.
In Caesarea, about 30 miles north of Tel Aviv, around 1,000 gathered at the home of the prime minister. One protester there was held overnight.
It is not known where the other two arrests were made.
Hundreds of thousands of protesters came out on the streets last year after Mr Netanyahu unveiled plans to reform Israel’s supreme court, a move many feared would remove the system of checks and balances retaining the prime minister’s power.
Those protests subsided after the Hamas attacks of Oct 7, with many Israelis saying they would set aside political differences for the duration of war.
Now that a truce appears to be crumbling, issues such as the government’s failure to prevent the Hamas attacks and the exemption of religious Jews from the army have become sticking points amidst a war claiming many more lives than expected.
Josh Drill, a leader of Change Generation, a protest group calling for new elections, said: “The Israeli government failed the Israeli people, and we the Change Generation are setting out to the streets to demand a new responsible Israeli leadership.
“This government oversaw the worst disaster in Israel’s history. Yet, those in charge on October 7 are still in charge today. Those who had their eyes closed to reality on October 7 still have their eyes closed today, so we are telling Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir, and everyone in government, open your eyes to what Israel needs, and go home.”
Daniel Hacklai, a lawyer who works pro bono for the protesters, said the police had used “excessive force” and unlawfully refused permission for protesters to go to a place known since last year as Democracy Point in north Tel Aviv.
He said: “In Israel, you have to be in a very, very difficult situation to justify using water cannons so in this scenario, it’s not even being used in the legal manner, so this is an illegal weapon against the protesters.
“The limitations on protest are very problematic from a democratic, human rights point of view.”
Israel Police said in a statement that officers took action at the Tel Aviv demonstration after a small group of protesters “breached fences, threw a smoke grenade towards the junction, and activated a gas grenade” and another group tried to block traffic.
“The Israel police views the right to protest as a cornerstone of a democratic country and allows protests as long as they are conducted within the framework of the law. However, the police will not allow any breaches of order or infringement on freedom of movement, or any behaviour that may endanger public safety,” it said.
A poll by the Israeli Democracy Institute in January found a majority of Israelis want elections brought forward.
The next parliamentary vote is currently due in November 2026.
One protester in Democracy Point who asked to remain anonymous said: “There would be way more protesters on the streets if it wasn’t for the fact that Bibi [Netanyahu] has a way of making people feel guilty.
“He tells us that we’ll lose the war if we have elections now, so people are afraid. We are losing soldiers all the time, and we have hostages in Gaza, so it’s his psychological war against us, and when people are already afraid, it works.”
The resurgence of domestic opposition comes as Mr Netanyahu faces increasing international pressure over his conduct of the war.
Joe Biden said Saturday that he believed Mr Netanyahu is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The US leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the Oct 7 attack, but said of Mr Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken”.
