Israeli police used water cannons to disperse nearly 1,500 demonstrators around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on Saturday as protests mounted against him over alleged corruption and his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
In Tel Aviv, police and protesters also clashed as thousands gathered at a rally by the beach with signs reading "Out of touch. We're fed up," demanding better state aid to businesses hurt by coronavirus restrictions and to people who have lost jobs or have been put on unpaid leave. Unemployment presently stands at 21%.
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Elsewhere across the country, protesters gathered at 200 bridges and junctions.
Police said 28 protesters in total were arrested.
Coalition Chairman MK Miki Zohar (Likud) on Sunday morning questioned whether such protests should be allowed at the present time.
Video: Yoni Rinker
"To approve mass protests that endanger the health of all Israeli citizens on one hand, and on the other hand shutting down many businesses that do observe safety protocols – is nothing less than absurd," he said.
"The government needs to decide: Open the entire economy, including mass protests … or immediately prohibit these demonstrations, just as they decided to close businesses," Zohar added.
Hit by high unemployment, a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases and reimposed coronavirus curbs, Israelis have taken to the streets in almost daily demonstrations against the government.
Public anger has been compounded by corruption alleged against Netanyahu, who went on trial in May for bribery, fraud and breach of trust – charges he denies.
In Jerusalem hundreds gathered outside the Prime Minister's Residence and then marched through and blocked several streets, calling for Netanyahu's resignation as police used water cannons to disperse the crowds.
Some protesters held black flags and signs saying: "There's no pride in a violent Police," and "Enough of the occupation, enough of the corruption." Some protesters wearing the colors of the Palestinian Liberation Organization waved signs in English saying: "Free Palestine first."
Israel's Reshet TV News said police at Charles Clore Beach in Tel Aviv used tear gas to try to disperse the demonstrators who had marched through the streets. It broadcast footage of scuffles with police.
Several protesters hurled objects at police officers and attempted to block the main artery along the beachside promenade.
Some of the protesters then migrated to Rothschild Boulevard in the city's center, near Habima Plaza, where they blocked the main junction. The police commander at the scene informed them the protest was illegal and called on them to disperse within a reasonable timeframe. The commander warned them that failure to do so would result in dispersal measures and arrests. Several protesters confronted the police at the scene, hurling objects at officers and attempting to breach the police barricade.
According to police, protesters set garbage dumpsters ablaze, attacked officers and sprayed pepper gas in the face of one senior police officer.
Netanyahu has announced numerous economic aid packages, some of which have been slow to come through while others have drawn criticism for being ineffective.
Israel, with a population of 9 million, has reported almost 50,000 coronavirus cases and 400 deaths.
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The "Black Flag" movement, which opposes what it calls Netanyahu's attacks on the legal system and law enforcement, said in a statement: "The images we are seeing across the country are the result of a non-functioning government. The economic disaster is an existential threat to the State of Israel as we know it. The country's citizens deserve a functioning prime minister who is solely focused on the problems of the people instead of survival.
"In the past week we've seen an impressive display of spins – it's just that you can't buy food at the store or pay rent with spins. There's a direct correlation between the fact that the accused [Netanyahu] tries evading justice for his crimes, and the panic that has induced the economic crisis. When there's no leadership, it is the job of the citizens to lead," the statement concluded.
