Thousands protest against Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 12 arrested

"As they continue to quarrel among themselves, a million people are waiting for security and justice. We do not have time to wait. We have no air to breathe," protest organizers said.

By TAMAR URIEL-BEERI
Protester holds a sign that says "Free Israel from Bibi" outside of the Prime Minister's Residence during a demonstration on July 25, 2020 (photo credit: TAMAR BEERI)
Protester holds a sign that says "Free Israel from Bibi" outside of the Prime Minister's Residence during a demonstration on July 25, 2020
(photo credit: TAMAR BEERI)
Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday night in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem to express civil unrest at the “detached and failing government,” calling on Netanyahu to resign immediately.
A total of 12 people were arrested on Saturday night during the protests in Jerusalem, including a 27-year-old suspected of taking part in assaults in the area. The suspect was carrying a flare, gas spray and a substance suspected of being a dangerous drug.
The protesters gathered from Paris Square at the corner of the street and up until a barricade formed across from the prime minister’s residence by police.
“The goal here is that the government [will] no longer be populated by corrupt people,” Ilona Harpaz, a protester leading chants with a megaphone, told The Jerusalem Post. “They see themselves first and the people later.
“How is it that a prime minister who has been indicted... is still leading?” she continued. “If it were the principal of a school, he would not be allowed to continue working. He is supposed to manage the country, not deal with these cases.”
“Bibi, go home!” the demonstrators cried in between posters calling Netanyahu corrupt, stating that he “does not have the public’s mandate” and crying out against the economic situation, with many posters saying that the “small citizen” is a poor one.
Protesters called the “government capital,” referring to the current financial system, as “underground” as they crowded close to one another, breaking coronavirus procedure along the way.
“With all the crumbs that they throw at us, we have no money for bread,” they said. “As they continue to quarrel among themselves, a million people are waiting for security and justice. We do not have time to wait. We have no air to breathe.”
An identical barricade to the one blocking the protesters stood several meters away, beside which a handful of Likud supporters cried out against the protests and expressed support for Netanyahu.
The supporters cried out admiration for the prime minister, as well as for Public Security Minister Amir Ohana.
“We are here to strengthen the prime minister,” Itzhak Zahar, a Likud activist from the Jordan Valley who attended the “anti-protest,” told the Post. “We can see here what behavior the Right has and what behavior the Left has. I vote for who I like, but not in this brutal way.”
After the previous protests throughout the past week, tensions are high as dozens of arrests are once again expected. Throughout the past week, over 100 protesters were arrested at the various demonstrations. Protesting organizations claimed that in the previous events, police would not let the crowds disperse and instead used dispersal means against them.
“Israel Police, we remind you, your job is to protect your citizens, not to fill quotas for detainees and not to issue false messages to the media,” the youth protesting group HaBa’alabatim shared on Facebook ahead of the protest.
Those who have previously been arrested have been forcefully distanced by 100m. from the event, but nevertheless insist on gathering 101 m. away to nevertheless show their solidarity for the event.
Protesters sent a letter to Israel Police asking that they not use water cannons as a means of dispersal. It is a “use of disproportionate and unjustified force against demonstrators, which actually endangers them,” according to a letter addressed to the police in the name of the protesters, sent through attorney Gonen Ben Itzhak, a prominent activist and protester.
However, “Police will use water cannons if necessary if there will be public disorder and disturbances,” the Israel Police Spokesperson’s Unit told the Post.
The police did not use water cannons as a means of dispersal at the time of writing.
Women’s rights activists joined the protests, as well, because the government “harms women in times of crisis.” They called on the government to make sure that “next year, there are no murders of women.” This follows a spike in violence against women during coronavirus closures and lockdowns, in which 11 women and a baby were murdered in acts of domestic violence since the pandemic began.
The Black Flag protesters gathered on bridges throughout the country and alongside the Balfour protesters, with some recognizable names among them, such as former defense minister MK Moshe Ya’alon (Yesh Atid-Telem) and former MK Stav Shaffir.
On Balfour, the Black Flags stood alongside pride flags, along with the dozens of posters calling for Netanyahu to resign.
Anti-occupation activists attended the protest, as well, crying out that “occupation is the illness, corruption is just a symptom” in an “apartheid.”
Some protesters additionally reflected the current civil unrest in the United States and around the world, wearing Black Lives Matter shirts and telling the Post that the country must “defund the police.”
Meanwhile, the number of people to test positive for coronavirus in Israel topped 60,000 on Saturday, with the Health Ministry reporting 1,770 new infections.
Ninety-four patients are on ventilators and 312 are in serious condition. Both numbers registered an increase of about a third over the past week. Additionally, the country’s death toll rose to 455.
Rossella Tercatin contributed to this report.


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