Thousands of Israeli protesters rally against Netanyahu policies

Thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv to denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies, which they blame for the recent wave of tensions in the occupied Palestinian lands as well as the Gaza Strip.  

On Saturday night, the demonstrators held signs that read, “There is no security without a solution,” as they marched from Habima Square in downtown Tel Aviv to the headquarters of the Israeli Ministry for Military Affairs on Kaplan Street.

Many of the participants were from the activist group, Peace Now, which had organized the event, as well as the left-wing Meretz party, along with several members of the Hadash party and Da’am Workers Party.

The demonstrators also called on the Tel Aviv regime to stop “managing the conflict” and engage in dialogue with the Palestinians instead.

The organizers put the number of people that attended the rally at some 6,000, but Israeli media estimated that 3,000 people were present in the protest rally.

Daniel Dojon, a protester, said he took part in the rally “because the situation is crazy,” adding, “I am not talking about safety but the lack of (political) progress, the lack of hope. Israeli politicians are becoming more and more extreme.”

Another protester, who identified himself as 60-year-old Dov Kredo, said he feels “very pessimistic” about the current situation, adding, “It is much easier for people to answer the call of fear and hatred.”

“Bibi you failed. You failed to provide personal safety for the citizens of Israel, you failed to present a vision that would somehow change this reality,” Zehava Gal-On, a member of Knesset for the left-wing Meretz political party said.

Palestinian dies of injuries

Meanwhile, medical authorities say a Palestinian shot and critically injured by Israeli regime forces during a demonstration in the Gaza Strip days before has died of his wounds.

Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesman, Ashraf al-Qidra, said 25-year-old Khalil Hassan Abu Obeid succumbed to his injuries on Saturday after being shot during skirmishes between Israeli military forces and Palestinian protesters in the eastern part of Khan Younis.

The fresh wave of tensions was triggered by the Israeli regime’s imposition in August of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Palestinians are also angry at increasing violence by Israeli settlers who frequently storm the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam after Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. They say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of the compound.

Nearly 60 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds of others injured since the Israeli regime began a harsh crackdown in early October on the Palestinians.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk