Next week, the protest is expected to escalate significantly, with a massive strike set to paralyze the country. The protest leaders' scenario of burning streets, delayed due to the war and the shelving of the reform, is making a dramatic comeback.
Most of the people protesting against the government are everyday Israelis who deeply care about their country. They join the demonstrations out of a profound sense of urgency, genuinely concerned. You'll find them at rallies, waving flags and wearing shirts with slogans about the hostages, embodying the nation's core values.
But they are not alone. In recent weeks, the hard-core activists among the protest groups have decided to cross the line. Last week, a protester was detained for changing the lock on a gate near Netanyahu's home in Caesarea, and another activist was arrested for filming the house up close. The rhetoric has become harsher than ever, evoking dark times. Dictator, tyrant, traitor.
It's important to acknowledge that this government and its leader have done everything to undermine public trust in decision-makers. Netanyahu is a prime minister more engaged in politics than in the plight of the hostages. He spent hours in talks with Knesset members to secure coalition stability, allowed the passage of corrupt laws, and personally dismantled the unity government. Last week, he sat in an exclusive interview in a friendly TV studio, speaking directly to his base. A prime minister responsible for the greatest debacle in our history. A prime minister who should step down.
Meanwhile, on the northern border, the most ruthless and sophisticated enemy Israel has ever faced is watching us bicker. Say what you will about Hassan Nasrallah, but he’s no fool. Neither are his bosses in Iran, who are sprinting toward a bomb. "Israel is not focusing on the Iranian bomb," a former top security official, a global expert on the issue, told me this week.
"The Iranian front is completely neglected. Iran is installing another 1,400 centrifuges, and the International Atomic Energy Agency will no longer be able to warn when the ayatollah regime decides to break out for a bomb." According to him, Israel has lost its focus.
The protesters believe that if the "tyrant" doesn’t fall, the state is doomed. Netanyahu believes that without him, there is no state. This impossible equation is bound to end in an inevitable internal Israeli clash. It’s like watching two trains speeding towards each other. Protesters will resent the symmetry, seeing the danger to themselves and not to the prime minister.
But it doesn’t really matter, just like it doesn’t matter who started it. Meanwhile, our enemies are watching us with great pleasure, enjoying every moment of Israeli division, waiting once again for the opportune moment. Clearly, we’ve learned nothing.
The protest must continue within legitimate bounds, without breaking the rules and respecting the law. Blocking roads won’t bring down the government, nor will burning them. Disruptive days and strikes during wartime are unnecessary, and statements against Netanyahu like "we’re waiting for you with a noose" will only undermine public legitimacy.
The prime minister, for his part, must stop sowing division and focus all his efforts on the war and the state. His government needs to stop the mudslinging and return to dealing solely with the war and the essentials of life, showing national responsibility. Let’s hope the train hasn’t left the station yet, and that the collision can still be prevented. Otherwise, Netanyahu and the protest against him will end up burning the barn together.