With the elections looming, weekly nationwide Israeli demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued Saturday with renewed vigor, marking the 37th consecutive week of protests, The Jerusalem Post reported.
According to the report, as usual, protests were set outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem and Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. A rally was also planned in Hadera, near the location of Netanyahu's campaign gathering.
🏴🇮🇱 Live, from Jerusalem: IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT. Week 37 of anti-Netanyahu protests. #SNL pic.twitter.com/58j8ASdW6l
— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) March 6, 2021
The protesters reportedly shouted "Come on Bibi get out of here" during a rally near PM's house in Caesaria. The report states that some famous Israeli artists have attended several rallies in a bid of showing their support.
הצעדה לעבר מעונו הפרטי של רה"מ נתניהו החלה בקיסריה. "אתה נוכל, אתה נוכל , נעיף אותך לכלא" נשמע במגפון pic.twitter.com/AshGJIMKMG
— Alon Weis אלון ויס (@WeisAlon) March 6, 2021
עשרות מפגינים הערב בכיכר הראלי בקיסריה לקראת הצעדה השבועית זה השבוע ה-37 למחאה נגד ראש הממשלה הנאשם בעבירות חמורות. "יאללה ביבי לך מכאן". קרדיט: מגזין לתוך הלילה pic.twitter.com/DOcQX0u7Q6
— Alon Weis אלון ויס (@WeisAlon) March 6, 2021
The protesters also were singing songs with lyrics addressed to Netanyahu.
"הרסתם את המדינה, ואנחנו נתקן" pic.twitter.com/jaC5Ym2kVa
— Alon Weis אלון ויס (@WeisAlon) March 6, 2021
The report cited a statement put out by the Black Flags Movement, one of several organizations heading the regular protests, violence was again targeted at the demonstrators, which has been described as a "routine" occurrence during the protests.
"The defendant [Netanyahu] and his supporters are doing everything in their power to hurt the protest movement. Cyberwarfare, physical assaults and incitement coming from the Likud elections campaign have become normal," the statement is quoted as saying.
״אין מה לעשות, שמאלנים בוגדים״ הקמפיין הגיע גם להרצליה. כאן עם שלט ביתי לא כמו בנס ציונה וירושלים. מול תומכי נתניהו עשרות רבות של מפגינים מארגוני המחאה כנגדו שהגיעו למקום לאחר ששבוע שעבר הותקף כאן פעיל בגז מדמיע בפניו. הפעם המשטרה במקום pic.twitter.com/lfk6baRiHm
— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) March 6, 2021
Meanwhile, hundreds of environmental activists reportedly held protests in Tel Aviv, near the anti-Netanyahu demonstration at Habima Square, against the government's recent failures in coping with environmental disasters. Protesters were holding placards that read "Stop the anarchy! Prevent the next oil spill."
Snap elections for the 24th Knesset are set for March 23 after the government coalition led by Netanyahu failed to pass the 2020 budget in parliament on time. This will be the fourth early elections in less than two years.
The main coalition partner in the current government of Netanyahu's Likud party was the Kahol-Lavan bloc led by former Israeli Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Beni Gantz, who, according to the terms of the coalition agreement, was supposed to become the prime minister in rotation.
Netanyahu has been the subject of multiple corruption investigations, including over claims he received expensive gifts from various businessmen, advanced a law that would benefit one of Israel's major newspapers and supported looser regulation of telecommunications company Bezeq in return for positive coverage.
