Hundreds to take to the street to protest unity government

More than a thousand protesters are expected to demonstrate on Tuesday night against the surprise deal to create a unity coalition, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz signed in the wee hours that day, minutes before the Knesset was expected to dissolve itself and call for new election this fall.

Under the motto “The entire nation is the opposition – the entire country takes to the streets,” activists have called for demonstrations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, at 8:30 p.m. As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,350 people have signed up on the event’s Facebook page.

“Like thieves, the prime minister and the opposition leader met in the middle of the night to steal our country. We won’t allow them to continue destroying our home,” the page states. “This government has got to go. The struggle for our lives here starts today!”

Among those who indicated that they planned to attend are Stav Shaffir, one of the initiators of last year’s social justice movement; Hagai El-Ad, the executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel; and also at least one Israeli diplomat: the head of European parliament liaison department at Israel’s mission to the European Union, David Saranga.