Thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday evening (20) in Jerusalem to demand the resignation of Binyamin Netanyahu. They demonstrated in front of the official residence of the Prime Minister, who is running for the legislative elections on Tuesday (23).
This Saturday’s demonstration is the most important in recent months in the country. The organizers speak for 50,000 people, while the local press estimates the number of participants at 20,000. Since June 2020, demonstrations against the Prime Minister, in power for 12 years without interruption, have been frequent.
The Haaretz newspaper recorded two incidents in which protesters were attacked by supporters of Netanyahu. Police asked residents of Jerusalem to stay away from the protest site and the surrounding streets.
Netanyahu, 71, is accused of corruption in three investigations, despite defending his innocence. The first question is whether he would have granted benefits in the amount of 500 million US dollars (2.7 billion reais, at the current price) to the telecommunications company Bezeq, the largest in the country, in return favorable coverage from his government on Walla News, owned by the former chairman of the company. We are a family business.
In the other two cases, he is accused of having accepted gifts from billionaires, such as cigars and drinks, in the amount of 264 thousand dollars (1.4 million reais), and of having offered advantages to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper (the country’s bestseller), also in exchange for positive coverage.
The election campaign for Tuesday’s legislative elections, the fourth vote in less than two years, coincided with an intense vaccination program against Covid-19, which the prime minister used to claim its valor in front of the electorate.
Israel is the world leader in vaccine application – it has already distributed 111.5 doses per 100 people, according to the Our World in Data website (most Covid-19 vaccines require the application of two doses to ensure the vaccination). With the rapid vaccination campaign, the country lifted restrictions after a
According to polls, Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party would win between 27 and 30 seats out of a total of 120 in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. In this way, he would be the first, but he would not have enough votes to obtain the majority necessary to form a coalition government with his allies (61 deputies).