Thousands of Israelis demonstrated against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening in front of his residence in Jerusalem, despite the efforts made by the government to limit gatherings as part of tightening measures to contain the new Corona virus.
On Saturday evening, Jerusalem witnessed a demonstration in front of Netanyahu´s official residence. The demonstrators used drums and trumpets to express their objection to the way the pandemic crisis and its economic and health implications were managed, as well as to denounce "corruption", and to demand "change" of the government, and also to reject "acts of violence" against the Palestinians. According to an AFP correspondent.
In the past two weeks, Israel has recorded the highest rate of COVID-19 cases, according to AFP data.
In the face of a second wave of infection, the government imposed a complete closure last week for "at least three weeks," which was tightened Friday by closing synagogues, excluding from the decision the religious gatherings on Sunday evening and Monday on the occasion of Yom Kippur.
The Prime Minister also wanted to limit the anti-government demonstrations, which have been taking place mainly at the end of every week in front of his residence since July, by preventing residents from moving away from their homes for a distance of more than one kilometer in order to demonstrate and limit gatherings of twenty people.
However, this measure was not approved by Parliament, and a number of deputies considered that the fight against the Coronavirus cannot be based on the expense of limiting democratic freedoms.
The police had allowed the gathering to take place on Saturday, asking the demonstrators to keep a distance of two meters between each other and put masks, and these directives were partially adhered to, according to an AFP correspondent.
"I came here because they tried to silence the demonstrations. Those here are the only hope for a free and democratic Israel," said Adi, 48, who traveled about 70 km from Tel Aviv to participate in the demonstration.
"I am happy to see the crowd present here this evening, but this is not a victory," said 34-year-old Shoshana, adding, "The government has imposed a complete closure without providing economic assistance," hoping that the protests will become "more organized" to bring about "real changes." ".
In the evening, Netanyahu criticized parliamentarians who refused to endorse restrictions on demonstrations.
On Saturday evening, there were virtual gatherings on social media platforms, in which thousands of their homes participated, to denounce the Prime Minister.
