Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in Israel, demanding the departure of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been indicted for corruption.
Thousands rallied outside the Prime Minister’s official residence in Jerusalem on Saturday (Sunday AEST), while hundreds more protested in Caesarea, where Mr Netanyahu has a private home, and in other parts of Israel.
Protests demanding that Mr Netanyahu resign over several corruption indictments and his handling of the novel coronavirus crisis have been mounting in recent weeks.
Ya’ara Peretz braved a heatwave in Jerusalem to rally, saying that the protest movement reflected that many Israelis were fed up with Mr Netanyahu.
“Protesters share a common point, they want a deep change in the (political) system,” she said.
Israel won praise for its initial response to the COVID-19 outbreak, but the government has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after restrictions were lifted starting in late April.
Mr Netanyahu has acknowledged that the economy was re-opened too quickly. On Thursday, Israel announced a new lockdown affecting 30 areas as it grapples with one of the world’s highest detected per capita infection rates and a death toll nearing 1000.
The protests came after Palestinians slammed Serbia’s decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. One senior Palestinian official said the decision made “Palestine a victim” of US President Donald Trump’s re-election hopes.
Read the article in The Australian (AFP).