Israel calls for Netanyahu’s resignation

Last Updated on April 5, 2024 5:04 am

This time, his countrymen are angry against the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu. All over the country, they are continuing their strong movement to demand Netanyahu’s resignation. Six months into the cataclysmic Israeli war in Gaza, Netanyahu has been accused of pushing the war to maintain power. At the same time, he is the one who is obstructing the agreement with Hamas. As a result, the hostages held in Gaza cannot be brought back. Thousands of Israelis seem to have lost patience.

Millions of Israelis are protesting on the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and all over the country. They demanded early elections. They lost patience with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s performance. Among them are many government officials.

Experts and critics told Al-Jazeera. Wednesday also saw a large gathering of protesters in front of Netanyahu’s residence. But the security guards used massive force to disperse them.

The Israeli Democracy Institute recently conducted a survey. It reflected the growing protest of the Israelis. According to the survey, 57 percent of Israelis say that Netanyahu’s performance has dropped to weak or very weak after the start of the war.

Mairav Jonszein, an expert on Israel and Palestine at the International Crisis Group, said there was a sentiment among the public that Netanyahu was not fit to lead the country. He is doing his own politics to survive only for his own interests. Families of hostages and former security officials are demanding a change in government. They all want a new election.

Experts say most people want Netanyahu to step down. But very few people want an end to the war. On October 7, Hamas’ Qassem Brigade launched a rocket attack on Israel, killing 1,139 people. About 250 people were taken hostage. Most of them are ordinary people of Israel.

Former Israeli army officer Natan Gorshoni (74) fought in the 1967 war. He said, I think Hamas is terrible. But Netanyahu is not doing his best. Right now I want the hostages back at any cost. Then we can solve the Gaza problem.

On March 15, the militant group Hamas made a proposal. That is, in exchange for the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, the rest of the Israeli hostages must be released. Israeli troops must withdraw from Gaza. Displaced northern civilians to the south of Gaza must be allowed to return and a permanent cease-fire agreement must be made. But Netanyahu rejected this offer. He termed this proposal as unrealistic.

But Jonszein believes Netanyahu is actually trying to avoid a ceasefire, so he can stay in power as long as the war lasts. This is Netanyahu’s basic issue of survival in the war. He also said that whenever there is a ceasefire, more fields will be created in this regard. Investigations will be looked into and elections will be demanded. Netanyahu may also face obstacles from the far-right coalition, particularly Finance Minister Bezaler Smotrich and National Security Affairs Minister Ben Gavir. Both have threatened to pull out of Netanyahu’s alliance if Benjamin’s government finds it unfavorable to a deal with Hamas. If so, Netanyahu will fall into another crisis. Smotrich even said the hostage rescue was not that important. But his comments have sparked public outrage.

Israel’s wartime cabinet has a more divergent view. The son of former army chief Gadi Eisenkot was killed in the war in Gaza. He advised the wartime cabinet on behalf of hostages and their families. He believes that priority should have been given to freeing Israeli hostages rather than killing senior Hamas leaders. But his opinion is limited. Because neither he nor another former army chief, Benny Gantz, has a majority in parliament. Even if they leave the cabinet, they cannot force a fresh election. The only way they can do this is once they leave Netanyahu’s coalition. In this case, new elections in Israel become necessary within three months. Because Netanyahu’s popularity is at the bottom.

Despite such pressure, Netanyahu recently sent a delegation to Egypt’s capital Cairo to negotiate with Hamas leaders. As a result, Israeli leaders are now open to allowing Palestinians to return to northern Gaza. Nevertheless, Israeli commentator and 972 magazine journalist Orin Ziv said that Netanyahu will continue the war.