Anti-Netanyahu Protests Press On

Israel on Saturday experienced its 29th straight week of protests as thousands of demonstrators again held rallies at intersections and bridges across the country, demanding that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu step down for his failed pandemic response and his trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Pro-Netanyahu counterprotesters assaulted four demonstrators, leading to one arrest. The largest gathering was again held outside Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem, where protesters have for months now been conducting weekend “sieges” in which they peacefully block all roads leading to and from the residence. Over the weekend, a news report stemming from a source “within the Prime Minister’s Office” and broadcast simultaneously on all major networks caused a minor storm. The report claimed that during last week’s protests, demonstrators breached a barricade and threateningly approached the complex, forcing Netanyahu’s detail to rush the prime minister and his family to a safe room within the house. Police and Shin Bet officials soon refuted the report, video evidence later released showed no barricade had been breached, and protesters decried the move as an attempt by the prime minister to draw a comparison between the riots at the Capitol building in Washington and the Jerusalem protests.

**Editor’s Note:  Enjoy the premiere episode of The Media Line’s television program, Facing the Middle East With Felice Friedson. Now available.