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SvennoJ on 24 March 2024
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Another round of protests

Pro-Palestinian protesters rally in cities across Europe


Demonstrators carry a banner saying ‘Shut down Rafael Israeli arms factory in our toon’ in Newcastle upon Tyne, England on Saturday



Romanians protested outside government buildings in Bucharest, Romania, on Saturday calling for a free Palestine


A protest sign shows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pulling a tank in Berlin, Germany on Saturday


People carry a banner saying ‘Freedom and Justice for Palestine’ in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday

Israeli antigovernment protesters say they will continue to block roads

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv say that Israeli PM Netanyahu must resign and an election should be held immediately.

Additionally, they are calling for a deal to bring back the remaining captives who are still being held in Gaza. The protesters say as the war enters its sixth month, the government simply has not done enough to secure their release.

Now the pressure has been mounting on Netanyahu from all directions – both internationally and domestically. But he is seemingly unfazed by all of these protests that are still going on.

Protesters say they will continue to block roads every Saturday until their demands are met.


Demonstrators attend a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and call for the release of captives from Gaza, in Tel Aviv, Saturday

What is happening with the ceasefire talks?

The Qatar-hosted, indirect talks between Israel and Hamas seem to be at a difficult stage amid significant differences over certain issues.

Here’s what you need to know:

  • Hamas is proposing the release of some 100 Israeli captives in phases in exchange for a permanent end to the war, total withdrawal of Israeli troops and the return of displaced people to their homes.
  • Al Jazeera’s sources say Israel rejected the demand to end the war and withdraw troops from Gaza.
  • Sources add that Israeli negotiators said they would allow only 2,000 Palestinians to return to their homes each day, meaning it would take more than two years for all displaced Palestinians to leave Rafah.
  • Israel wants all Israeli captives released immediately. Hamas has indicated it will only release women and children in the first phase.
  • Basem Naim, a Hamas official, told Al Jazeera that Israeli negotiators want the captives released without a commitment to ending the war on Gaza.
  • He said Hamas told mediators that the group is “not ready to discuss any further proposals”.

 

Does Israel need to be forced by the US to end the war in Gaza?

All of Israel’s modern wars have ended with US intervention, but the current war in Gaza has gone on for half a year because “Biden is a slow learner”, argues University of Pennsylvania political scientist Ian Lustick.

Israel needs an outside power to blame when it cannot achieve its aims.

“That’s because the war aims are fundamentally political, and the military cannot achieve them,” says Lustick.

Lustick and Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti talk to host Steve Clemons about the current situation on the ground and the debate within the Democratic Party in the US.