Hundreds Protest Against Netanyahu, Block Roads in Tel Aviv, Haifa

By Staff, Agencies

Hundreds of ‘Israeli’ settlers blocked roads at simultaneous demonstrations calling for Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation in Tel Aviv and Haifa on Thursday night.

The protest in Tel Aviv began in ‘Rabin Square’ before spilling over onto the adjacent ‘Ibn Gabirol Street’. Demonstrators then marched to the ‘Kiryat Hamemshala’ government complex on ‘Menachem Begin Road’, blocking traffic in both directions in the process.

The demonstrators had not received a permit to block the roads, but police decided to allow the procession to take place. Outside the Tel Aviv government complex, protesters also tried to block the ‘Azrieli’ junction, but police prevented them from doing so.

In Haifa, the demonstration commenced at the ‘Merkaz Hacarmel’ neighborhood, where protesters marched down Moriah Boulevard toward the nearby ‘Karmeliya’ neighborhood, blocking traffic in both directions in the process.

Large traffic buildups were reported in both cities, with police advising drivers to find alternative routes rather than intersect with the demonstrators’ path.

Netanyahu’s Likud party blamed the prosecutor’s office for the traffic blockages, after it issued new directives, saying protesters should only be placed on trial for disturbances during rallies in exceptional cases.

‘Israeli’ protesters have been holding regular rallies for several months outside Netanyahu’s residence in occupied al-Quds, as well as in Tel Aviv and other areas, calling on him to resign due to his indictment on corruption charges.

Protests on Saturday nights tend to be the largest and have been the scene of clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

They have been joined by people protesting the government’s economic policies during the coronavirus pandemic, with crowds in the thousands and rising.