Israelis took to the streets last weekend – including outside the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem – in their latest show of anger at the government’s handling of the war. The protests were spurred by the news that Hamas had executed six of the hostages still being held in Gaza.
The following day, Israel’s national workers union announced a general strike. The strike, which the union said was necessary to “shake those who need to be shaken”, brought the country to a standstill as the busy Ben Gurion airport, schools and banks shut down.
The right-wing government of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is certainly no stranger to demonstrations – they have been a common feature of life in Israel over the past year or so. But, according to Ran Porat of Melbourne’s Monash University, these latest protests mark a new low in the relationship between large segments of the Israeli public and their elected government.
