Will the Israeli protests bring down Netanyahu?

Last Updated on September 4, 2024 7:28 am

After the bodies of six hostages were recovered from the Palestinian Gaza Strip last Saturday, new protests began across Israel. A nationwide strike was called. The Gaza war began about 11 months ago. Since the start of this war, there has never been such a large and widespread protest in Israel.

Israeli soldiers recovered the bodies of these six hostages from a tunnel in the Rafah area of ​​southern Gaza. One of them was a dual citizen of the United States. They are Carmel Gatt, Aden Yerushalmi, Hersh Goldberg-Paulin, Alexander Lovanov, Ori Danino and Almag Sarusi.

After the recovery of the bodies of the six hostages, there was a widespread reaction among ordinary Israelis. Protests spread across Israel.

According to Israel, they were killed some time before the bodies were recovered. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Hamas for the incident. He said those who killed the hostages did not want a deal.

Meanwhile, in Israel last Sunday, about 300,000 people took to the streets to protest against the Netanyahu government. They are basically blaming the current government for failing to sign a ceasefire agreement.

Meanwhile, senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishek claimed that six prisoners were killed by Israeli airstrikes. Hamas originally offered Israel the return of the hostages in exchange for a cease-fire. About 40,700 Palestinians have been killed so far in this ongoing war. About 94 thousand were injured.

Demonstrators chanted slogans against the Netanyahu government during the protest last Sunday. At one point, a clash started with the police.
Meanwhile, Israel’s main labor union called for a strike yesterday (Monday). In this case, the country’s economy came to a standstill for several hours before the labor court ordered workers to return to work.

The fact that the Netanyahu government is in power has faced a lot of challenges through this strike across the country. According to analysts, the impact of protests and strikes will be felt in the coming days.

Alan Pincus, Israel’s former ambassador and government adviser, told Al Jazeera that it is too soon to say. The key here is to maintain normalcy. That is, whether the protest will continue or not.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. In this case, prosecutors have sought arrest warrants against two Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant.

Despite the exchange of hostages and a cease-fire last November, there was no further progress in the war for a long time. In that case, many citizens of Israel have been demanding the Netanyahu government for a cease-fire agreement for the release of about 100 hostages.

An agreement was supposed to be reached between Hamas and Israel last May. But according to analysts, the deal ultimately fell through because of Netanyahu’s tough conditions. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then. At the same time, Israel has intensified operations in the West Bank and Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Israel has continued its efforts to free the prisoners through military operations instead of negotiations. According to Palestinian health officials, Israel launched a military operation to rescue the hostages in early June. While four prisoners were rescued, more than 200 Palestinians were killed.

Such a strategy of the Netanyahu government has given rise to a lot of discussion within Israel. In this case, the recovery of the bodies of six hostages seems to have made the situation more confusing.

Ori Goldberg, an expert on Israeli politics, said the government and prime minister are on the defensive. Now everything depends on the momentum.

But this is not the first such protest against Netanyahu. Rather, he faced massive protests last year in the controversy over the judicial system of the country. Also in the summer of this year, there were protests against him demanding a ceasefire and the release of hostages.

Pincus said Netanyahu has no interest in a cease-fire or a deal to release hostages. It is clear. Because the country’s defense minister and we all warned that this would happen. His (Netanyahu’s) reluctance to enter into an agreement has caused all this.
A poll in July showed that 70 percent of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign. Because they feel that he failed to prevent the attack on October 7.

But Netanyahu still has the support of the radical right. Among them are National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir and Finance Minister Bezalel Ewell Smotrich.

Meanwhile, regarding the death of six hostages, Netanyahu said that those who blame Israel for this incident are mainly speaking in the tone of Hamas propaganda. The price of killing the kidnappers should be paid in Gaza. By seizing more territory and establishing Jewish settlements there.

Goldberg said Netanyahu is not a deranged dictator who acts purely for self-interest. Rather, he believes that his personal interest is the interest of the country. In that case, according to him, it can only be saved if he is at the helm.