© Reuters. Individuals attend the funeral of Jewish seminary scholar Yishai Gartner, who was killed in a taking pictures assault at a bus cease in southern Israel, within the Israeli settlement of Modiin Illit within the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, February 17, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
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JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday dismissed the concept of holding early elections, whereas hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv for an anti-government protest.
Netanyahu has seen his reputation plummet in opinion polls since Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault that sparked the devastating struggle in Gaza.
Anti-government protests that shook the nation for a lot of 2023 have largely subsided in the course of the struggle. Nonetheless, demonstrators once more took to the streets of Tel Aviv Saturday evening calling for brand spanking new elections, which aren’t scheduled till 2026.
The group was a lot smaller than final years’ mass protests, numbering a number of thousand, in line with native media.
“I might wish to say to the federal government that you’ve got had your time, you ruined every little thing which you can destroy. Now’s the time for the folks to right all of the issues, all of the dangerous issues that you’ve got executed,” mentioned one protestor, his head wrapped in an Israeli flag.
Netanyahu was requested at a press briefing about calls inside his personal ruling Likud occasion to carry early elections proper when the Gaza struggle ends.
“The very last thing we’d like proper now are elections and coping with elections, since it’s going to instantly divide us,” he mentioned. “We want unity proper now.”