Protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that erupted in the wake of the Hamas hostage crisis have largely subsided, although smaller-scale demonstrations are expected to continue on a weekly basis.
Last Sunday and Monday, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to express their outrage and grief over the murder of six hostages by Hamas. Some protesters, including hostage families and left-wing activists, blamed Netanyahu for failing to secure a hostage deal with Hamas, despite his agreement to terms proposed by the Biden administration.
The country’s labor union federation had called for a general strike, which sparked concerns that the country’s economy could grind to a halt. However, the Netanyahu government successfully appealed to the courts to block the strike, which ultimately failed to materialize.
According to conservative writer Caroline Glick, the turning point in the protests came when Netanyahu held two press conferences, one in Hebrew and one in English, in which he presented his case for maintaining control over the Gaza-Egypt border.
Glick pointed to recent polling data, which showed that Netanyahu’s press conferences had a significant impact on public opinion. She noted that before the press conferences, many Israelis were skeptical of Netanyahu’s approach to the war and hostage negotiations. However, after the press conferences, between 60% and 75% of Israelis backed Netanyahu’s position, depending on the specific issue at stake.
Glick also disputed claims by President Joe Biden that Netanyahu was the obstacle to a hostage deal, noting that only about 30% of Israelis agreed with this assessment.
