Against the background of the protests against the Netanyahu government, which are intensifying as the war continues, on Sunday evening, Brig.-Gen Amir Haskel, one of the leaders of the protests against the government, spoke with Ben Caspit and Prof. Aryeh Eldad on 103FM.
“We are starting a strike that will end on Wednesday evening and the intention is to set up a tent city on the street itself, of course with the approval of the police and the municipality,” said Haskel. “Our goal is to create pressure on the politicians, because while we cannot announce elections, in the current situation it may still affect them and how they make decisions.
“For me personally, the easiest thing was to be at home today, but I have children and grandchildren and I am here for their future,” Haskel continued. “I am not in favor of burning down the house, but I am in favor of exercising the rights of every person in a democracy.
Why are Israelis protesting now?
“The main reason for the protests, at least according to the polls, is that the public has lost faith in the government. I am talking about the decisions concerning the North, the hostages… the amount of soldiers the IDF has today in the West Bank… is greater than the number of soldiers in the Gaza Strip. We are almost half a year after October 7 and people have not taken to the streets for a while because of the war, but the very fact that many people are coming to Jerusalem now is a sign that people are fed up.”
He continued, “October 7 cannot be ignored. On that day, everything collapsed. Our conceptions about our security, the politics, the economy. It is unlike anything that has happened here in the country since its establishment. According to the polls, 51% of the public supports going to the elections, and 57% are sure that the prime minister is not doing everything for the release of the hostages.”
