At the end of a stormy political week and for the first time since the dissolution of the Knesset, about 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Prime Minister’s residence in Jerusalem as part of the weekly demonstrations. Dozens of protesters surprised police and arrived at the Balfour compound in the afternoon with burning torches and set fire to them.
The protesters, waving a sign reading “Siege of Balfour,” settled on the road and blocked Gaza and Ben Maimon streets, so they also detained the fire truck that came to the area. Policemen who arrived tried to repel the protesters and disperse them by force from the street – wearing a demonstrator facing each allotted four policemen holding him hands and feet. Police extinguished the fire and Hmct”zit seen in the area. Three protesters were detained by police. Police say that because of the protest also blocked the streets of Tudela and Gaza towards Paris Square. A few hours later, hundreds of protesters began marching toward Balfour Chords Bridge.
Sharon Hoderland (68) from Ramat Gan comes to Balfour every week. As she moves around in a wheelchair and the roads near the residence are blocked ahead of time, she makes sure to find parking close to the demonstration area in advance – and despite the ascents from the String Bridge, she also participates in the march. “When there are tough climbs I get help,” she laughed. On going to the polls, Hoderland said she feels there is a change: “Hopefully something is moving. That way you can’t go on. We need something new, it’s not just the one from Balfour. The whole hallucinatory scale of priorities. Where education and culture are at the forefront.
Hagai Prilder, 39, of Nehusha, stood with a group of right-wingers with the sign “Right in another head.” Prilder said in a conversation with Ynet that “Netanyahu’s story is to divide the people. Form a government with half a people – and surrender to extremists instead of the majority who agree on a large part of things being accepted.”
All the protest organizations gathered tonight at bridges and intersections, in Tel Aviv and near Netanyahu’s personal residence in Caesarea for the 27th week in a row. “The past week has shown how dramatic a protest is for the preservation of the State of Israel as a democratic state,” the black flags said. “An unprecedented protest is a testament to the fact that the citizens of the country love the country and are willing to sacrifice for it.” About 300 demonstrators arrived at the villa in Caesarea, with five of the prime minister’s supporters protesting against them.
Eliad Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality of Government he demonstrated in Caesarea, said that “this week the assassin came out of the bag,” said Elkin, the person closest to Netanyahu, because he is dragging us to the fourth election because of his desire to choose a legal adviser. Good morning Mr. Elkin, you finally understand that such a person will do anything. We saw in fact what an organized mafia there is. Even within the Likud, they understood that there was a limit to trampling on the values and norms we grew up on. ” But Netanyahu does not know that he will meet us in the coming month in the thousands and tens of thousands, we will come here and Balfour every week. ”
In Givat Ada, an incident was recorded between demonstrators in one of the squares and Netanyahu’s supporters, who passed them and beat them with flags. According to the protesters, the young man who beat their friend with a flag had thrown a bottle at them shortly before. Police began searches and arrested a 17-and-a-half-year-old from Or Akiva. The police stated that “at the end of the investigation and in accordance with the evidence in the case, it will be decided whether to hold a hearing in his case tonight in the court in Haifa with a request to extend his detention.”
“Like every week, we went out to demonstrate at the Ada junction, when suddenly a vehicle arrived with thugs from Netanyahu’s emissaries who attacked demonstrators,” said Eden, who was attacked. “When I took the picture, they started attacking me as well. We are at war with Israeli democracy, and no act of bullying will stop us. We will continue every week, until Israel returns to track.” An unusual incident was also recorded in Rishon Lezion: a young man got out of a vehicle standing at a traffic light and threatened protesters with a knife.
“We are looking for leaders who want to take care of the people. We have ended up in a politics that only cares about chairs and personal public relations. Our health, cultural and economic situation has never been so difficult. Turn to the public stage, you do not deserve it anymore.”
The Crimean Minister movement stated that the protest was the one that overthrew the government. “The public on the right and left understands that the defendant is imposing a political closure that will stifle the state and wreak economic disaster on its citizens,” the movement said. In addition, the “Investigation Now” organization added that “citizens of the state deserve to know whether bribery considerations have been made in the State of Israel in security transactions. The findings from recent months must be true – and this will only happen through a state commission of inquiry.”