Israel, 100 thousand call for Prime Minister Netanyahu's resignation

The key points

The demands are shared by heterogeneous groups of protesters
Early elections should be held by May 13th
The accusation against the government is that it does not commit to the release of the hostages

An impressive demonstration, more than 100 thousand people. It is the first large one since last October 7, when following the Hamas massacre, these large gatherings were suspended in Jerusalem. A diverse population made up of ultra-Orthodox, pacifists, displaced people from the kibbutzim of the south and north, the family members of the hostages. United only by a shared request: the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Moshe Radman, one of the leaders of the protest, according to what The Times of Israel reports, explains what the requests are: «We are here until Wednesday. First of all, we want elections because we think that this government does not represent public opinion.” The early elections could take place, according to the protesters, before May 13-14, Independence Day. But “the urgency remains the release of the hostages, which according to the majority of Israelis is not among the priorities of Netanyahu’s government.”

A political clash that turns out to be head-on; the Israeli prime minister, in a press conference before undergoing surgery for a hernia, reiterated that Hamas would be the first to celebrate the early elections. And he reiterated: “Nothing will stop the attack on Rafah.” While the anti-Netanyahu movement, aware that it will be difficult to obtain a no-confidence vote from the Assembly within the six days before the spring break, does not give in. The demonstrators’ objective is to mobilize civil society after months of silence, interrupted only by marches of relatives of the kidnapped. “We need to move the needle,” insists Radman. And this should happen by May 13-14, before Independence Day.

The Prime Minister ruled out the possibility of his resignation in a televised speech: “The new elections, he said, would block the country for months and this would make it more complicated to carry on negotiations also regarding the Hamas hostages.” A head-on clash that could be negotiated by the talks between the Biden Administration and the Tel Aviv government, which are still open despite the failure of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s missions in the Middle East.