Israeli police arrested on Friday at dawn 55 Israelis who took part in demonstrations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, news agencies reported.
According to Israel Radio, thousands of angry Israelis took part in demonstrations staged near Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, and many clashes erupted between them and police.
Anti-Netanyahu protesters say they were violently attacked by right-wing activists: Several at Jerusalem protest say they were beaten by ‘La Familia’ extremists, with a witness saying group of young people were wandering in search of protesters… https://t.co/gYkfoRJFzf Haaretz pic.twitter.com/atC6i1dkfe
— Jewish Community (@JComm_NewsFeeds) July 24, 2020
The demonstrators chanted anti-Netanyahu slogans and raised placards calling on him to resign over his corruption cases and mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis, which negatively affected the economic situation as unemployment spiked to over 21 percent in the country.
Last night’s demonstration followed tens of others organized in previous days around and near Netanyahu’s house and elsewhere in Israel – all calling for Netanyahu to resign.
Israeli media reported that the Israeli police sprayed them with high-pressure water cannons in a bid to move them off the streets.
When a picture really is worth 1,000 words.
Police use water cannon as Israelis protest PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 18 July 2020.@Reuters @reuterspictures @ReutersWorld 📸Ammar Awad pic.twitter.com/lL9SdJw5uI— Nava Swersky Sofer (@NavaSwerskySofe) July 19, 2020
Unemployment in Israel is currently at a high of 21 percent and is rising due to the restrictions imposed across Israel in relation to the fight against the coronavirus.
Last month, Israel boasted about its success in fighting the pandemic after the decrease of daily new cases, but the numbers soared at the start of this month, pushing the government to take strict measures to keep people locked down.
The Israeli Ministry of Health announced on Friday that eight people died of the coronavirus and 549 others have caught the virus. It described the conditions of 301 patients as critical, including 82 on ventilators.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
