Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday for a large anti-government rally, three days before the general elections widely regarded as a referendum on the performance of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.
Motivations for the Protest
The protest was organized by the October Council, a group established by the families of victims and hostages taken by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023. The goal of the October Council is to demand accountability for the failure to prevent the Hamas attack that led to the Gaza war.
Leaders of four major opposition parties are also expected to participate in the rally, including Gadi Eisenkot, who is competing against Netanyahu. The October Council has stated in its platform that on election day, they will hold an event seen as the culmination of three years of efforts to uncover the truth and establish a government inquiry commission.
Polls and Election Results
Recent polls released before the start of the election silence period show that neither bloc has managed to secure a majority of seats in the Israeli parliament. An AFP reporter noted that thousands were marching from Rabin Square towards Hostage Square, the site of the rally. This location is known as a focal point for past anti-government protests.
Hadas Fuehrstein, a 68-year-old participant, said at the start of the rally: "Those who have led us over the past four years have done a very bad job." She added: "Israel has never been in such a situation."
The October Council has warned security forces about the possibility of "provocations" from government supporters and stated that they have sent an urgent letter to the police commissioner to take action regarding potential attempts to disrupt the rally.
This rally comes after years of campaigning by Israeli civil society and opposition parties for an independent inquiry commission into the security failures that led to October 7. Netanyahu's government has refused to establish such an entity, instead proposing a "political" commission with half its members appointed by the ruling coalition and the other half by opposition representatives.
Opposition leaders have stated that they will not participate in a commission appointed by politicians. Naama Beiterman, an 18-year-old voter, said at the rally that she is confident in the victory of the anti-Netanyahu front, adding that this victory could improve Israel's international standing, which has been affected by three years of war in Gaza and Lebanon and increasing violence in the West Bank.
She said: "If we win - and we will win - we can change how others around the world see us."
Britain and several other countries have begun imposing sanctions on goods produced in Israeli settlements in the West Bank following a wave of attacks by assailants on Palestinians and settlement constructions approved by Netanyahu's right-wing government.
To circumvent Israel's growing international isolation, Netanyahu suggested on Friday that Israel may need to develop an alternative digital economy. Netanyahu, who had previously called for Israel's military self-sufficiency, also stated that multi-billion dollar arms packages from Washington's key ally "will not come."
Opposition leaders on Saturday harshly criticized Netanyahu's proposal. Eisenkot, alluding to the proposed cryptocurrency, called it "bbCoin," using Netanyahu's nickname, Bibi, and said: "Netanyahu says that if re-elected, Israel will be cut off from the global economy. We must not let bbCoin destroy Israel."
Yair Lapid, former Prime Minister and current opposition leader, also accused Netanyahu of promising Israeli citizens before the elections that they would have to queue for an hour and a half for bread, like in Russia or Iran. He said: "If he wins the election, this will happen: sanctions, no security agreement with the United States, and no economy for Israel."
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