Israeli protesters rally, demand prisoners deal, early elections

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
6 Jul 2024 23:09
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Thousands of Israeli settlers take to the streets once again to protest the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu and demand a prisoner exchange deal be completed.

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Israeli settlers protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance, in Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, on July 6, 2024. (AP)

Israeli protesters gathered in several occupied cities and settlements to demonstrate against the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government and demand a prisoner exchange deal with the Palestinian Resistance, on Saturday.

The main rally has been occurring on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, a major city built on the ruins of Yafa, where tens of thousands attend the weekly anti-government protests.

In Tel Aviv, the protest took place in concurrence with another demonstration led by a group representing the families of Israeli captives, who demanded the government reach a deal with the Palestinian Resistance to secure the release of captives held in the Gaza Strip.

As protesters blocked the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, police turned out water cannons on them.

Flanking a police deployment to prevent protesters from blocking the Ayalon Highway from the west, dozens of protesters reach it from the east.

As a police officer directs traffic around the roadside disturbance, protesters hurl a flare, causing all traffic to stop.

Einav Zangauker, whose son is being held in the besieged territory, said that the renewed opportunity for a deal with the Resistance cannot be missed, according to The Times of Israel. Her remarks come after the Palestinian Resistance's negotiators gave positive feedback to mediators, regarding a proposed deal, which has reignited mediated talks.

"[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, we saw how you torpedoed deals again and again at the moment of truth. Don’t you dare break our heart again," she said.

Like many others, Zangauker blames the Israeli prime minister for "abandoning" Israeli settlers in the Gaza Envelope, especially those taken captive on October 7, 2023. Captives' families have urged the government to accept a deal that would see the release of dozens, despite the Palestinian Resistance's terms.

"The people believe that the country won’t recover without a return of all the hostages. A group of extremists in the government, cut off from the people, want to sentence them to death. Leadership is expected to act according to the will of the people and to hear the cry of the public," another relative of a captive said.

As for the anti-government protests, Israeli settlers gathered in occupied Haifa demanding early elections, claiming that the Israeli government has pinned itself against Israeli settlers.

Protesters also rallied in the Rehovot settlement near Tel Aviv, demanding the Knesset go to early elections.

The leaders of these protests, who organized themselves in a period prior to the war to protest multiple controversial policies, said that they would increase the pressure on the Israeli government in the coming week.