Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Israel on Tuesday following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s abrupt firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, in scenes that were reminiscent of — though far smaller in scale — the demonstrations that followed the premier’s first attempt to fire Gallant in March 2023,
The Tumes of Israel reports.
The prime minister dismissed Gallant Tuesday evening, citing mutual distrust that Netanyahu said “helped the enemy.”
The move was largely seen by critics, however, as motivated by political considerations, including efforts to codify ultra-Orthodox men’s exemption from mandatory military service.
Thousands of text messages were sent to anti-government lists calling on citizens to protest the move, and large crowds gathered in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa Caesarea, and other locations throughout Israel.
The Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, a frequent location for protests, was blocked in both directions by demonstrators, who lit bonfires, while a parallel protest took place on the city’s Kaplan Street.
Few police officers were initially on the secene, as the spontaneous nature of the demonstrations meant cops had not blocked the entrances to the thoroughfare with trucks, as they usually do during the weekly Saturday night protests calling for a hostage deal.
The highway was quickly awash in Israeli flags, as well as pictures of hostages and yellow flags signifying solidarity with the captives.
Referring to Netanyahu, protesters around one of the bonfires chanted: “He’s a traitor!” “How much more blood will be spilled until the accused [of corruption] leaves?”
