‘Bibi to prison’: Thousands demand Netanyahu resignation over corruption in Israel
Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption charges.
The so-called ‘March of Shame’ attracted more than 10,000 people on Saturday, Ynet News reported. The protestors on Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard chanted "Shame, shame, shame," "Bibi Netanyahu to Maasiyahu Prison," and "We will not give in until you give up."
10s of 1000s protest against Netanyahu's corruption for second week in Tel Aviv.This is how it's done.#Resistancepic.twitter.com/k47y0jbXia
— rise up ⚡️ rise up (@ha_bibti) December 9, 2017
Protest organizers, Eldad Yaniv and Meni Naftali, who previously staged weekly anti-corruption rallies in Petah Tikva, said people were angry with “the lag in Prime Minister Netanyahu's investigations."
Protests in Tel Aviv blocking traffic on both sides of the street: "the country belongs to us, not to Netanyahu!" pic.twitter.com/CbrOYDzJFe
— Joshua Leifer (@joshualeifer) December 9, 2017
“We want a new contract with politicians, without those colluding with tycoons. We want new leaders and a new contract. Politicians who work for us, not corrupt ones. Politicians who can see justice served,” Yaniv told Ynet News.
For the second week in a row: many (possibly tens of) thousands demonstrating in Tel Aviv against government corruption. Calling to end Netanyahu rule pic.twitter.com/cvKOkykZf5
— Haggai Matar (@Ha_Matar) December 9, 2017
Smaller anti-Netanyahu protests were organized in other locations in Israel as well, including Nahariya, Hadera, Afula, Netanya, Rishon LeZion, Modi'in, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva.
Netanyahu has been questioned in two cases, with poilce suspecting the PM of received lavish gifts from businessmen and negotiating a deal for more favorable coverage with a newspaper owner.
The PM, meanwhile, was on his way to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron, with his impending arrival spurring a massive anti-Netanyahu rally in Paris.
Thousands of people protested in the French capital in solidarity with the Palestinians, who are outraged by US President Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. They carried Palestinian flags, slammed the Israeli PM as a “war criminal” and chanted:"Boycott Israel" while voicing support for a "Third Intifada."
Meanwhile, violent clashes continue to rock East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza in the wake of Trump’s announcement Wednesday. Two Palestinians were killed and over a 1,000 people injured Friday, with another 230 wounded Saturday, as Israeli security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition at the protesters.
