Mass protests in Israel to demand Netanyahu reach an agreement on hostages

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A judge has quashed the call for a general strike against Netanyahu, calling it political

September 2 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Thousands of people demonstrated again on Monday, for the third consecutive day, to demand that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach an agreement for the release of hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militias.

One of the busiest spots has been Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem, where at least ten protesters have been arrested amid the demonstrations, in which barricades have been set on fire and slogans such as “No routine without agreement” have been chanted, reports the Israeli newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.

The police have deployed a large security presence and officers have repeatedly charged at the participants to arrest some of the participants and take away flags and banners.

The commander of the Moriah police station has declared the gathering illegal. Police have used water cannons and mounted officers to disperse the protest.

There was also a demonstration at Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, with the participation of activists who attended the funerals of some of the six hostages killed and whose bodies were recovered over the weekend, sparking the outbreak of protests. “There is no time left! Bring them home!” shouted one of the thousands of demonstrators who packed Rothchild Street in Caesarea.

GENERAL STRIKE ATTEMPT

The protests came despite a decision by a Tel Aviv court to order a general strike called by the country’s main union to try to force an agreement to end at 2:30 p.m. (local time), despite having been scheduled to end at around 6 p.m., after accepting an appeal against the protests.

The decision was taken by the Bat Yam court, according to Israeli media, and was immediately applauded by the Minister of Finance, the far-right Bezalel Smotrich, who reiterated through his account on the social network X that the call “was political and illegal.”

“The court accepted our position and ruled that the strike by (the main trade union) Histadrut was political and illegal. Israeli workers who came out to work today en masse,” he said, adding that “it is not possible to harm the Israeli economy and thus serve the interests of (Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya) Sinwar and Hamas.”

Over the past few hours, there have been numerous roadblocks in various parts of the country, as well as the suspension of takeoffs at Ben Gurion International Airport from 8:00 a.m. (local time). In addition, hospitals are operating with reduced weekend hours, while universities and banks have also joined the protests.

For his part, the Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, has stressed to demonstrators that his party “uses its power in the government to prevent a reckless agreement” with Hamas. The politician has been one of the main opponents of any pact and has defended continuing with the military path.

“You only have to talk to Hamas through the sights of your gun,” Ben Gvir said after members of the Gvur Forum (Heroism Forum), made up of relatives of victims, temporarily blocked the entrance to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office as part of a counter-protest against the strike, according to The Times of Israel.

Smotrich himself said on Sunday that he had ordered the Treasury not to pay salaries to public employees who joined the protests. “The Histadrut leaders will not be allowed to turn the country upside down and use the workers as weapons to achieve their political goals,” he said.

Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David announced a general strike on Sunday, saying that an agreement allowing the release of those kidnapped during the attacks carried out on October 7 by Hamas and other Palestinian militias “is the most important thing right now.” He said the agreement appears to be blocked “by political considerations.”

Calls for a general strike began just hours after the bodies of six hostages were found on Saturday during an Israeli operation in southern Gaza. Israel said the hostages were executed by Hamas, while the Islamist group claims they were killed in one of the Israeli airstrikes in the area.

The Israeli army launched an offensive against Gaza following the attacks on October 7, which left around 1,200 dead and nearly 250 kidnapped. The offensive has so far left around 40,800 Palestinians dead, according to the Gazan authorities, controlled by Hamas, a figure to which must be added more than 660 dead in the West Bank and East Jerusalem at the hands of Israeli forces or settlers.