From the Liveblog of
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Passover themes feature heavily at weekly protests
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Passover themes are featured heavily in tonight’s protests calling for new elections and a hostage deal, which are being held two days before the start of the weeklong Jewish holiday.
At a protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea, a speaker says though Passover is approaching nothing feels like a holiday right now, “certainly not a festival of freedom, when 133 of our brothers and sisters have spent more than six months in the tunnels of Gaza, where they are assaulted, starved and raped.”
In Kfar Saba, protesters are urged to keep coming out to demonstrate, even during the Passover vacation. Demonstrators also gather in Rehovot, Hod Hasharon, near Netanya and elsewhere.
In Ra’anana, they read the name of each hostage, chanting “Now!” after each captive.
Protesters hold signs reading “Thank you USA” and “Biden Thank You,” along with Israeli flags and placards of the hostages. Protests are also held in Beersheba and outside Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, with demonstrators calling on him to resign.
In Tel Aviv, as thousands converge on the weekly anti-government rally, many signs reference the Passover Haggadah and the Four Questions, with one sign saying, “How is this govt different from all others?”
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