KABUL (Pajhwok): Thousands of people have protested against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv, the country’s commercial hub, just three days before the general election, according to media reports.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the demonstration was held on Saturday by the October Council.
According to the report, leaders of four major opposition parties, including former Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, attended the rally. Eisenkot received a warm welcome from demonstrators.
The protest came as opinion polls published before the pre-election polling blackout suggested that neither of the two main rival blocs was likely to secure a parliamentary majority in the upcoming election.
A poll by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan projected that Eisenkot’s bloc would win 52 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc was expected to secure 50. The remaining seats were projected to go to independent parties.
An AFP correspondent reported that thousands of demonstrators marched from Rabin Square towards the area associated with the hostages.
Before the rally, 68-year-old Hadas Feuerstein told AFP: “Those who have led us over the past four years have done many terrible things.”
She added that Israel’s current situation was unprecedented.
Ahead of the demonstration, the October Council warned security forces of possible provocations and disturbances by government supporters.
On Saturday evening, Israeli police announced the arrest of a suspect accused of attacking the security team of a political figure in Tel Aviv. Israeli media reported that the intended target was Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister and opposition party leader.
The report added that Netanyahu’s government had refused to establish an independent commission of inquiry and had instead proposed a political commission, with half its members appointed by the ruling coalition and the other half by opposition representatives.
hz/sa
