JERUSALEM (AP) – Hundreds of Israelis protested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, calling on the longtime leader to step down a few days after the country plunged into a new national election.
Protesters have been gathering outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem for months, criticizing him for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and saying he cannot lead the country while under indictment for fraud, breach of trust and acceptance of bribes in three separate corruption cases. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing.
Protesters held up placards urging Netanyahu to “Go” and declaring “We will not stop protesting until you get out of our lives”.
Although turnout was less than previous demonstrations in the midst of the colder climate, protesters have a new impetus because Israel appears to be heading for its fourth election in two years in March, in which Netanyahu faces new challenges from defectors from her conservative Likud Party.
The election is likely to be another referendum on Netanyahu, Israel’s oldest leader and also one of the most polarizing. He will come shortly after Netanyahu’s trial enters its evidence stage, which is likely to present the corruption charges against him firmly in public speech during what is expected to be a bitter and divisive campaign.
Saturday’s protest came a day before Israel entered its third national coronavirus blockade, with much of the economy closing again amid rising infections. Critics say Netanyahu and his so-called “emergency” government – established in the spring specifically to deal with the virus – have hampered his response, leading the country to another expensive blockade.
Netanyahu points to the country’s current vaccination campaign, which is among the highest numbers of vaccinations per capita in the world, as the country’s exit from the global health crisis.