Demonstrating outside the residence of the prime minister, thousands of Israelis took to the streets to voice their dissatisfaction with the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu in the run up to the March 23 elections, Reuters reports.
While Netanyahu’s conservative Likud Party is expected to get a plurality of seats in the parliament, it will likely not win a clear majority, forcing Likud to join with other parties to get a majority of seats to keep the prime ministership, as happened in the last three elections. It’s possible such a coalition could force Likud to name a new leader other than Netanyahu.
More than 20,000 people protesting Netanyahu filled the streets, which police closed off to traffic. Dissatisfaction with Netanyahu stems from a variety of issues, from charges of corruption brought against him and his wife, as well as mismanaging the coronavirus pandemic.
Netanyahu, however, hopes that the country’s successful vaccine rollout will mitigate some of the opposition. He also hopes the normalization of diplomatic relations with some Arab countries will appeal to the nation’s moderate citizens.