Anti-government demonstrators will gather in the central Israeli city of Rosh Haayin Monday evening, relocating their protests from the Prime Minister’s Residence in the capital to Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s home.
Organizers have dubbed the planned protest an “emergency demonstration”, and say the goal of the rally is to pressure Gantz not to reach an agreement with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu which would keep the present government afloat and avoid early elections, warning Gantz is in danger of making “a capitulation deal which will keep in power a government led by a person under indictment and a destroyer of democracy.”
“These are critical days for the future of the country,” organizers said in a statement. “A criminally indicted man is holding Israel hostage and hiding from elections which will lead to his removal.”
The protesters criticized Gantz for joining the government, accusing him of enabling Netanyahu.
“The man who joined the government in order to protect the rule of law has become a collaborator with the man under indictment and is about to make a concession agreement that will extend the rule of the destroyer of democracy.”
The planned protest comes just days before the government faces a deadline for passage of a state budget.
If no spending plan is passed by midnight Tuesday, the Knesset will be automatically dissolved as of Wednesday morning and new elections set for March 23rd.
The Likud and Blue and White are currently in negotiations to reach an agreement on a spending plan to avoid early elections.