Several Israeli cities witnessed demonstrations Saturday against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, while police in Jerusalem confiscated sound equipment used by protesters, Anadolu reports.
The Hebrew newspaper Haaretz reported that hundreds of Israelis took part in protests at various locations across the country against the government, while 1,000 demonstrators joined the main rally at Habima Square in central Tel Aviv.
The newspaper added that Israeli police in Jerusalem continued measures they began last week, temporarily confiscating sound equipment from protesters at Paris Square near Netanyahu’s residence, citing the prevention of noise.
During the main demonstration in Tel Aviv, Carmit Palty Katzir, whose father was killed Oct. 7, 2023, and whose mother and brother were taken captive in the Gaza Strip before being released, criticized the government’s policies.
She said more than 1,000 Israelis had been killed since that date and tens of thousands had been physically and psychologically wounded.
Katzir accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war without a political horizon, arguing that his main goal was “political survival,” according to the newspaper.
READ: Israeli opposition would secure Knesset majority over Netanyahu bloc, poll shows
Meanwhile, Eran Etzion, former deputy head of Israel’s National Security Council, warned during his participation in a demonstration in the northern city of Haifa, against demands for “national unity” before elections, saying they are used to numbing “the public” and blurring “political differences,” according to Haaretz.
Similar demonstrations were held in cities and junctions in northern Israel, including Karkur, Afula, Rosh Pina and Nahariya, in addition to protests in the southern city of Beersheba.
The protests come amid a domestic debate about the policies of Netanyahu’s government and the security and military developments taking place in the region.
The signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian had set the stage for direct talks in Switzerland.
The US and Iran were set to hold talks in Switzerland on Friday to begin a 60-day negotiation period.
After securing a ceasefire on April 8, Pakistan hosted the highest‑level direct talks between the two nations on April 12 – 13 since they severed diplomatic ties in 1979.
READ: Al Jazeera cameraman among 10 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza despite ceasefire
