Israel: opposition party leader calls for paralyzing the economy and pushing the government to early elections
On Monday, the leader of the Israeli opposition Democratic Party, Yair Golan, called for paralyzing the Israeli economy and services to force Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to accept early elections.
“We need to move from protest to resistance… This government won’t change… It’s a government of destruction,” Golan, a former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army, told local radio station 103 FM.
He added, “Resistance is using the right to strike and the right to demonstrate… We need to paralyze the economy and services to bring this government to the conclusion that it has no choice but to go to elections as soon as possible”.
He continued, “Fear and despair are not a plan of action… We must rise up and move to resist, together shut down the economy and services, and say: Elections now”.
Golan called on opposition leaders to unite, saying, “I have made a public call for us to unite and establish a joint chamber for all democratic and liberal parties… I am making a great effort to achieve this”.
For his part, Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition National Union party, warned in a post on X that Netanyahu’s undermining of state institutions will end in disaster.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently ignored opposition calls to resign and hold early elections.
Recently, the opposition has intensified its protests against government policies, particularly following the decision to dismiss Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and the vote of no confidence against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
On Sunday, Israeli police suppressed hundreds of demonstrators in Jerusalem who had protested the dismissal of the government’s attorney general and the head of the Shin Bet security service.
Mayara’s dismissal was one of the issues that dominated the Israeli domestic scene for months due to her opposition to several government decisions.
On Friday, the Supreme Court froze the government’s decision to dismiss the Shin Bet chief, pending consideration of a joint petition against his dismissal submitted by the opposition parties Yesh Atid, the State Camp, Israel Beiteinu, and the Democrats, in addition to petitions from organizations such as the Movement for Quality Government.
The Supreme Court (Israel’s highest judicial authority) set April 8th as the date to consider the petitions submitted against the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief.
Barr’s term is scheduled to end on April 10, or when a permanent head of the security service is appointed, according to the government’s decision.
