Opposition leader and Yesh Atid Party chairman Yair Lapid on Thursday sent a letter to Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai ahead of the anti-government demonstration that will be held on Saturday night in Tel Aviv.
Lapid wrote to Shabtai, "These demonstrators are the greatest lovers of the State of Israel and should be treated as such. I expect you to direct the police to treat the protesters with respect and do everything to allow them to express a legitimate protest."
"The role of the Israel Police is to guard them, not to 'prepare for them', not to use water cannons, to make sure that excessive force is not used against them while they are fulfilling their civic duty," added Lapid.
Lapid also wrote to Shabtai, "Your job is to make sure that the police are not political and are not at the disposal of only one political party, even if that party is now in power."
National Unity Party chairman and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Thursday that he will take part in a demonstration against the Netanyahu government that will be held at Habima Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
"The intentions of the coalition and Netanyahu to carry out a coup d'état, in a quick and chaotic manner, while violating the most basic values of the Declaration of Independence and refusing to negotiate for broad agreements – is dangerous for the State of Israel," said Gantz.
"We reached out to negotiate, and our hand is still being extended - but we will not give up and will fight with all legal means to prevent these extreme measures. I call on you to come on Saturday night to Habima Square with Israeli flags, to behave in accordance with the law, without inciting signs, and not to be dragged into provocations that will only harm the fight. This is not a civil uprising - it is a civil duty," he added.
Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon blasted National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and accused him of trying to suppress the left-wing demonstration that will be held this coming Saturday night.
Ya'alon said: "The pyromaniac, the convicted felon, the nationalist chaos minister who is in charge of the police, is fanning the flames in order delegitimize the demonstrators and discourage the protest. It will not help him, the demonstration on Saturday night will take place in any weather."
"Everyone who holds the country dear to his heart should come without fear to prevent the criminal government from carrying out the coup d'état. We don't have another country,'' Ya'alon added.
Meanwhile, the Israel Police on Thursday provided National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir with an assessment that there is concern that there will be disturbances during the left-wing anti-government demonstrations this Saturday night.
Police officials stated that they have intelligence information that raises the fear of riots.
"The Israel Police will ensure the existence of the protest and it is the right of every citizen to express his position. This is a basic right of every person in a democratic country, but at the same time, from the intelligence picture, there is a fear of disturbances," said the police.
The police announcement stressed that "in order to be able to ensure public peace and the protest to be held in full, the Israel Police again called on the organizers of the protest and the participants to maintain order and allow the protests to be held according to the law. The police reiterated that they are working to allow the protests for all demonstrators, but at the same time they will not allow any violation of public order and will not allow the use of Nazi symbols."