Israelis must bring an end to their PM's machinations

On Thursday night, from my apartment in Tel Aviv, which overlooks Hostages Square - a rallying point for relatives of the Israeli captives - I watched the protesters against Benjamin Netanyahu, whose calls for an immediate ceasefire have become a permanent fixture.

- ALON PINKAS

When news broke of his plan to take over Gaza City and further extend the war, the commotion increased. My dog Pippa - who is half corgi, half Jack Russell - insisted we go down.

It wasn't quite the mass demonstration one would expect, more an expression of the depleted energy levels of a fatigued Israeli public. But there was a palpable combination of anger and resolve - and it felt like it could be the beginning of something.

Could Netanyahu's reckless decision to “demilitarise” and occupy the Gaza Strip, involving a fresh round of ferocious fighting, prove to be the trigger for a fierce and sustained backlash? Could this be what eventually forces him out of office?

If so, it will have been a long time coming. First, there was the debilitating trauma of the October 7 Hamas terror attack in 2023 - undoubtedly the worst calamity and darkest day in Israel's history. Then came the profound humiliation and dejection of learning with horror about the more than 200 hostages held in Gaza tunnels.

Shortly after came Netanyahu's intransigent and depraved refusal to take responsibility and be held accountable for what had happened under his watch and, to a large extent, as a result of his policies.

Then there was his rancorous dismissal of the defence minister, his acrimonious firing of the head of the Shin Bet Security Agency, the repeated protraction of the war with different pretexts, the war's expansion into Lebanon, Syria and Iran, and his current attempt to force out the attorney general.

It has all helped create an aura of an ongoing national crisis. And still, none of that drove a million people onto the streets.