From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Likud minister says Netanyahu ‘fears’ mass protests ‘after deal bluff blew up’ — report
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
As calls mount for a general strike on Monday and Israelis across the country prepare to take to the streets over the deaths of six hostages in captivity and the lack of a hostage deal, a Likud minister tells Channel 12 that the prime minister has expressed concern that a mass protest could develop outside the cabinet meeting in Jerusalem today.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called for protests outside the cabinet meeting as well as in Tel Aviv this evening.
“Netanyahu fears that hundreds of thousands will take to the streets and lay siege outside the cabinet, after the deal bluff blew up,” the network quotes a source it identifies as “a senior Likud minister.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has called on the public “to join a massive demonstration, demanding a complete shutdown of the country” as well as calling on the powerful Histadrut labor federation to stage a mass strike on Monday, a call taken up by the Israel Business Forum, which represents most private-sector workers from 200 of the country’s largest companies, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid.
The Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba and Givatayim municipalities have all announced that they will join a nationwide strike in support of hostage families tomorrow.
