From the Liveblog of
Saturday, June 8, 2024
Protest leader chastises Gantz for putting off withdrawal from government
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Anti-government protest leader Nava Rozolyo speaking at a rally at Herzliya city hall, thanks IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, along with the Israel police and security forces, for the rescue of four hostages held by Hamas in an operation today.
She then turns her wrath on the current government, starting with war cabinet member Benny Gantz, who canceled his planned press conference this evening in which he was expected to announce leaving the government.
“For the thousandth time, Benny Gantz is not doing what he said he’d do,” says Rozolyo, a lawyer who has been one of the activists leading the protests against the government.
She compares Gantz to the little Dutch boy from the Hans Brinker book who plugs a dike with his finger, saving his homeland.
“He joined the disastrous government,” said Rozolyo. “We’re not in the Netherlands and we have been calling to him for months — he won’t save the village, he didn’t prevent anything in the last eight months, in any area.”
Rozolyo claims that US President Joe Biden is the only savior of Israel.
She calls for the Israeli public to go out to the streets to steer the country back in the right direction.
Otherwise, says Rozolyo, “disaster will follow disaster,” and the current government “will destroy the Zionist dream and all we accomplished in the last 76 years.”
“Everyone needs to rise and go to the bridges, and town squares and roads and the capital, and we’ll yell across from the Knesset, go, go, go!” She says. “We’ll make sure he hears.”
