Lapid vows to topple government in fiery speech at Tel Aviv protest

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
21 Dec 2024 21:28
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Captives' families slam Netanyahu over his partial Gaza deal remarks.

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Demonstrators strike drums during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, outside the Israeli Security Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on December 21, 2024 (AFP)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid vowed to topple the government in a fiery speech addressing protesters on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street.

Protests have returned to Kaplan Street in recent weeks to rail against the government’s renewed push to overhaul the judiciary.

“There will be no compromise. We won’t bend over, we won’t give up and we will never enter the government,” he said, taking a swing at Benny Gantz who joined the government at the beginning of the war on Gaza.

After Lapid’s speech, the Kaplan Street protest broke up and joined those rallying in front of the nearby Begin Road entrance to the IOF headquarters to demand a hostage deal.

Captives' families outraged over partial deal remarks

Families of Israeli captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza have expressed outrage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent statement indicating that "Israel" is pursuing only a partial captive deal, The Times of Israel reported on Saturday.

In an interview for The Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Netanyahu declared, “I’m not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas,” adding, “We’re not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. It’s not going to happen.”

His critics warn that such an approach risks leaving the majority of the 100 remaining captives in Gaza indefinitely.

Hamas, on its part, has maintained that it will not release captives without assurances that the first phase of the proposed ceasefire will lead to subsequent stages, culminating in a permanent ceasefire.

Earlier on Saturday, Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades published on its official channel on Telegram an illustration featuring Yair Netanyahu, the Prime Minister's son, enjoying the sun on a beach in Miami, in parallel with an Israeli settler held captive in a tunnel in Gaza.

The image's caption read, "Yair is in Miami, away from danger. What forces Netanyahu to make a comprehensive deal?"

⚡️Al-Qassam Brigades sends a message to settlers and families of Israeli captives:

Yair Netanyahu is in Miami, far from danger, so what compels Netanyahu to conclude a comprehensive deal? pic.twitter.com/aC8KiDobSD
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) December 21, 2024

Reacting to Netanyahu's comments, Einav Zangauker, mother of captive Matan Zangauker, accused the premier of once again attempting "to torpedo" the release of the captives.

"The same prime minister who deliberately did not act to replace the Hamas government is now using this as an excuse to prolong the war and abandon the hostages. He wants to bury them in tunnels," she said.

Zangauker further emphasized that "ending the war in order to return all of the hostages is neither an obstacle nor a price – it is the goal. The people want to return the hostages, end the war and return to normality."

She warned that the captives "may not survive another month, we need a comprehensive deal now."

Addressing the rally in Carmei Gat in central "Israel", Avital Dekel Chen, whose husband Sagui Dekel Chen is among the 100 captives still being held in Gaza, said, “How can it be that my daughters — who are fulfilling their commitment to hold on as tightly as possible amid all this madness — are met with a state that violates all its commitments to them, namely the most basic obligation to protect their well-being."

In the same context, Yifat, a cousin of captive Ofer Calderon, criticized the "contradictory messages coming from Israel’s political echelon."

Just days before Netanyahu’s remarks, Israeli Security Minister Israel Katz had claimed that a deal to release all captives was imminent.

Later, a senior member of the Israeli negotiating team reportedly slammed the Minister for his comments, accusing him of undermining efforts to finalize an agreement, The Times of Israel mentioned.

Moreover, Danny Elgarat, brother of captive Itzik Elgarat, directly addressed Netanyahu, urging him to "look the families in the eye – you humiliated us, trampled on us, turned us into the enemy."

"The only thing left for you to do is fulfill the will of the people: end the war and bring everyone back," he added.