Jerusalem (EFE).- The main leaders of the Israeli opposition participated in a large protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in Tel Aviv on Saturday, calling on voters to remove Netanyahu from power, thus restoring «hope,» three days before Israel’s general election.
Organized by the families of former Gaza hostages, the demonstration demanded an independent commission of inquiry into the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, that Netanyahu has refused to establish. The protest brought together thousands of people in the Israeli city.
Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival and the frontrunner in the polls, who is emerging as Israel’s next prime minister, joined the protesters at Hostage Square, the rally’s final stop.
«The people of Israel have the strength to rise above division. This wonderful people has the ability, even in the most difficult moments, to unite and change the course of history,” said the leader of the center-right Yashar! party, according to a statement released by his party.
Eisenkot, a former Israeli chief of staff who lost a child in Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip following Oct. 7, highlighted the “tireless struggle” of families of victims to “get answers about the failure.”
The candidate promised that if elected in Tuesday’s election, he will establish an independent state commission to uncover the truth about what happened. This commission will “prevent the next catastrophe.”
Democratic Party leader Yair Golan also participated in the protest, speaking from a stage in Rabin Square where the march began.
He emphasized the need for an alternative government to Netanyahu’s, one that would correct Israel’s “course” and restore “security, trust, and hope.”
«To strengthen our democracy. To separate religion from the state. To stop the bloodshed, both Jewish and Palestinian,” said Golan, who leads the center-left party that recent polls project will win between nine and 10 seats.
He recalled how, before the Hamas attacks, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest the policies of Netanyahu’s government, the most far-right in Israel’s history.
«In winter, in the rain, in the sun, we protested. We blocked roads. We marched. We fought. We were arrested. We were injured. We kept coming back. We weren’t afraid. We didn’t stay silent. We didn’t give up,” Golan told the crowd.
The march was also attended by Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister who leads the right-wing Beyachad (Together) party alongside Yair Lapid, the current leader of the Israeli opposition. The latest polls project an average of 14 seats for their party.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, Avigdor Lieberman of the nationalist, secular Israel Beitenu party, which polls predict will win eight seats, also attended the march.
The three most recent polls, published on Friday, predict that the opposition parties’ bloc, led by Eisenkot, will win an average of 54 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Israeli election law prohibits the publication of further polls until after the election.
By contrast, the parties comprising Netanyahu’s current government would total 50 seats.
Thus, the opposition, which has reiterated its goal of ousting Netanyahu from power, would need the support of the Arab parties, consisting of two lists that, according to the polls, would win about 15 seats, to secure a majority for a prime ministerial vote of confidence.EFE
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