Far-right Israeli minister slams antiwar protests
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has decried antiwar demonstrations by captives’ families and supporters as “a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas”.
He claimed that the public demand to secure a deal “buries the hostages in tunnels and seeks to push the State of Israel to surrender to its enemies and jeopardise its security and future”.
As we reported earlier, throngs of Israelis have taken to the streets and blocked various main highways across the country, demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to secure the release of the captives.
Israeli police arrest antiwar protesters
Eleven antiwar demonstrators have been detained in Tel Aviv, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, which quoted police sources. According to the newspaper, demonstrators blocked the Ayalon Highway at several points, and police said they ignored officers’ instructions and endangered drivers.
Separately, The Times of Israel reported nine arrests at the Tel Aviv protests, adding that seven of the people detained were blocking the Ayalon Highway. The newspaper quoted a lawyers group for detained antigovernment activists.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Israel against the war in Gaza, calling for a deal to secure the release of captives held in Gaza.
Israeli police officers remove protesters blocking a main road in Jerusalem
Impact of Israeli protests likely to be ‘negligible’ if not sustained beyond today
Former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas tells Al Jazeera that while protests and strikes are taking place “all over” Israel, it is yet to be seen if they would continue in the long run.
“The general strike is not complete because the trade union federation has bailed out or copped out and is not participating, meaning that the big workers unions leave it to their members whether to go on strike or not. “So it’s not a complete strike,” Pinkas said from Tel Aviv, adding that the long-term effectiveness of the movement will depend on whether it continues beyond a single day.
“The big question: … Is it sustainable? Because if this is a one-off, one-day event that’s going to wind down during the night and disappear tomorrow, then the impact would be negligible,” he said.
