Israelis protest against Netanyahu cabinet over prisoner swap deal
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Thousands of Israeli settlers rallied in "Tel Aviv" and occupied al-Quds demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a prisoner swap deal with Hamas.
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Demonstrators protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for new elections in the latest weekly protest against his handling of the war on Gaza, in 'Tel Aviv', occupied Palestine, Feb. 17, 2024 (AP)
Thousands of Israeli settlers took to the streets on Saturday in both "Tel Aviv" and occupied al-Quds demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reach a prisoner swap agreement with the Hamas Resistance movement and hold snap parliamentary elections at once.
⚡ 🇮🇱Trouble in Paradise
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) February 17, 2024
Huge protest in Tel Aviv demanding Netanyahu's resignation and hostage deal.
Netanyahu avoids making an agreement and is preparing for an invasion of Rafah, where there are 1.2 million refugees.
The actions of the Israeli military have already led… pic.twitter.com/n8zxZ2FN1W
The Israeli protests, which have been taking place since the start of the war on Gaza, are calling for an early election as Netanyahu's unpopularity skyrockets due to his neglect of the Israeli settlers taken captive by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza during October 7's Operation al-Aqsa Flood.
Thousands of settlers last Saturday took part in similar demonstrations in "Tel Aviv" and Haifa, calling for Netanyahu's resignation and for new elections to be held. They also called for leadership to negotiate a potential prisoner swap agreement with the Palestinian resistance.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that approximately 3,000 people are demonstrating at the "Horev" intersection in Haifa. Demonstrators were seen marching towards the intersection, carrying banners reading "Elections Now".
Israeli news sources further reported that activists and relatives of captives "blocked the Ayalon road and set fire to it."
Cabinet under pressure
Pressure from the families of captives on Netanyahu's administration has been mounting as they aim to push for negotiations for a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, especially after some of them were killed due to Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, captives' families requested an urgent meeting with Netanyahu and the war cabinet to learn what would become of their relatives in Gaza and the future of negotiations with Hamas.
Despite these calls from Israelis, Netanyahu is insistent on "absolute victory" in Gaza. Netanyahu said earlier in February that the objective of the war on Gaza was "absolute victory," and pointed out that this cannot be achieved without defeating the Resistance militarily, announcing that the next stage of the invasion would target the southernmost city of Rafah.
Meanwhile, Aviva Seigel, who was released in November in a prisoner exchange deal imposed by the Palestinian Resistance, said that if the captives are "saved" then "we'll have saved the State of Israel and that will be absolute victory."
No goals achieved
Over 120 days into the war, the occupation's military is yet to achieve any of its main declared objectives, primarily "eradicating the Resistance" and "releasing the hostages."
On the other hand, the Resistance maintains its strong presence in several fields, as it has been able to stick to its original demands for a prisoner exchange deal and even add further clauses in a recent response.
Addressing Netanyahu, Adina Moshe, an Israeli settler, said she is afraid that in case Netanyahu continued "along this path… there won’t be any more hostages to release."
Another settler, Nili Margalit, voiced an even deeper concern. She considered that "millions of Israelis and Jews are waiting for six people to make this decision," referring to the war cabinet, warning that if the captives are not returned; "everyone will know that they are next in line, that we live in a country that doesn’t worry about our safety, that doesn’t protect its citizens."
In his press conference, the Prime Minister said that reaching "victory" in Gaza will require "months" and not years, and this can be accomplished with the "military collapse [of Resistance Hamas]. There will not be a civilian collapse [of Gaza government] without a military one."
Sahar Calderon used even sharper words to describe the situation Israelis are now facing due to the war trajectory their government is pushing for.
Being a former captive herself and the daughter of an Israeli still held by the Resistance in Gaza, Calderon slammed the government for "abandoning many people," accusing it of not knowing what Israelis still in captivity are going through.
She pleaded that Netanyahu's war cabinet not "relegate the hostages to a coffin [...] Don’t let me lose my faith in you a second time."
