On Saturday 3/30 and only 2 days after we landed back in Israel (we were away since Oct 2024) we joined the substantially growing Protest block against the current
inept Israeli Gov, calling for immediate returning of the Oct 7th 134 remaining hostages and for "Elections Now".
A row of enlarged photos of the kidnapped, "welcomed" the incoming public, not only at the streets protest area, but also upon landing on March 28th at the BG airport
Furthermore, it was surprising to find upon landing, that though the war was still raging, the Exit Rotunda Hall at Israel's airport, was packed with outgoing travelers, despite, the insane air fare prices, that El-Al , the sole operating air flight carrier, to and from Israel. has been charging,
Surreal "Business as usual " atmosphere, at least in Tel- Aviv was also felt at the beach, where in a popular Manta Ray bar/restaurant, (at which we had Friday dinner ) people were dancing in the exterior bar, to a blasting music of
"We are the Champions" sang by the lead Freddie Mercury of Quin rock band
The Saturday Protest's gathering started initially at Tel Aviv's Kaplan St. and 2 hours later the demonstrators "joined forces" with the crowd who turned up in support for the families of the kidnapped at Begin St.. The hostages' families were positioned on the pedestrian bridge, (above this Begin's main artery) which connects Azrieli mall complex with the Kirya -Gov headquarters.
Most moving installations showcasing the kidnapped, and many giving away stands disseminating stickers and T-shirt were situated along Kaplan street, with slogans
to name the core ones...
"You are the Head You are to Blame", (referring to the worst leader Israel ever had -Bibi )
"Bring them home Now" (referring to the kidnapped)
"Equality in army and work duties for all" (re: the the Haredi historical preserve exempt)
"Elections Now". (Getting rid of the current Gov)
This protest was the most, vigorous and wrathful one ,so far, since the 2023 protests which took place against the Judiciary Overhaul, that the Israeli Gov. tried to pass in
the country on Jan. 4th 2023.
Chants, similar to those that were also echoed, by support protest initiatives of Israelis in the Silicon Valley (and other places around the US) were repeated over and over ...
ביבי בשלטון, אסון רודף אסון נגמר להם הזמן-עסקה על השולחן
THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, NETANYAHU MUST RESIGN
BIDEN, SCHUMER, HEAR OUR PLEA, FROM NETANYAHU SET US FREE
BIDEN, SCHUMER, TAKE A STAND, RESCUE US FROM BIBI’S HANDS
ONE DAY HE’LL BE DOING TIME, NETANYAHU MUST RESIGN
NETANYAHU MUST NOT STAY, IT IS TIME FOR HIM TO PAY
OUT OF TIME, OUT OF GRACE, NETANYAHU, LEAVE YOUR PLACE
MAKE A DEAL. BRING THEM HOME, NETANYAHU,
IT IS TRUE WE DO NOT BELIEVE IN YOU
HEY HEY, HO HO NETANYAHU HAS GOT TO GO
Finally this time, the heartbroken and angry families of the kidnapped who, after 6 long months, really had it with the inept Gov and with Bibi's constant lies and of sabotaging the latest initiative of the kidnapped release deal, ,thus joined the many other ad-hok Protest groups in efforts to topple this crude Gov.
Also many of the displaced from the communities in the south and north of the country
who were totally undermined by the Gov and left on their own to handle their affairs and the disrupted lives and education of their children ,were heard.
A moving account was told by a reform women Rabbi from Kefar Bloom set on the country's northern border with Hizballah, The horrific experiences her and her young children have been given to, since the war began, are heart wrenching.
As her community is set beyond the 6 km distance mark, from the Northern border, which the Gov acknowledged and designated as a rightful evacuation, unfortunately her community isn't entitled to the same rights.
This left the community to live under constant explosions and impact threats and to cope on their own with no support from the Gov.
Thus like so many, in addition to over 100,000 that were evacuated, they feel they have been forsaken to their own fate by the state. .
After six months of pleading with the government to 'bring them home,' the hostages' families made a dramatic statement, blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu for sabotaging a deal and demanding to replace him immediately.
The representatives of the hostages' families made a clear declaration,
"If Bibi is not capable of bringing back their loved ones, who are withering away in Hamas tunnels, than, Bibi must evacuate his sit, and let someone else more competent to do just that"
To bring them home Elections now!
To beat Hamas Elections now!
To save Israel Elections now!
To build security Elections now!
To heal our land Elections now!
To keep our faith Elections now!
To win the Hauge Elections now!
To make amends Elections now!
With global friends Elections now!
The hostages' immediate relatives and their extended families are now committed to putting a fierce fight to get rid of all those who are responsible and have failed them twice. Once when the Gov abandoned civilians and soldiers on Oct 7th, when failing to prevent Hamas Terrorists to execute the horrendous actions.
And the second time, by not making it the Gov. priority nor doing its utmost, to bring the hostages back home
Alon Pinkus the diplomat and writer made the strongest case against Bibi and why the country must be rid of him, the sooner the better.
"Fooling the world in seeing him as a Political wizard" is Bibi's "greatest" trick, among an arsenal of many despicable tactics, to mask his failed leadership.
"An Agent of Chaos" Bibi is only deteriorating the country from one disaster to the next.
I recommend reading this hilarious book "the "Netanyahoos -An Account of a Minor and Ultimately Even Negligible Episode in the History of a Very Famous Family"
written by Joshua Cohen , as to get a glimpse to the context of where all these "destructive operating system" and perverse "survival skills" were internalized.
While the crowd was encouraged to march along the route toward South .. thus diverting the police attention that way, many demonstrators sneaked down into the main Ayalon Norther artery, stopping all traffic there,
Gleeful encouraging cheers of the spectating crowd that huddled on the pass-ways above, could be heard for those who succeeded to get down, disrupt the traffic and were chased by the police squads on their horses.
The rising smoke from lighten torches carried by demonstrators, and the bone-fires which were set in the middle of the road, fueled by the furry energy, also invited the police intervention.
A very large police force was spread out
guarding all entries into Ayalon main Hwy.
The police , now being called
"Ben-Gvir squads" -in the service of the despised National Security extreme minister, apparently got violent, and used excessive force.
After 4 hours on our feet, protesting with our dear friends Yosi and Shlomit and the rest of the crowd, observing and witnessing the heart-wrenching accounts and scenes of the evening's inflated wrath, we returned home physically and emotionally depleted, only to get ready for the bigger demonstration in Jerusalem, the next day.
A song dedicated to Bibi and his Gov of inept criminal ministers, which went viral
Next Day # 177
On Sunday March 31st - the 177 day since the atrocities of Oct 7th occurred, we along with thousand others, boarded the train from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and joined the families of the hostages and the protest activists, whom many got off with us, at the Jerusalem Navon station
to demonstrate near and against the Israeli Parliament-Knesset.
We joined one group of protestors from "Brothers in Arms" that waited for the arrival of many of its members, who rode on busses, which were delayed in the heavy traffic, At the same time another faction of the group, collected other arrivals embarking at the train station, and then "invaded" the Haredi Mea Shearim neighborhood.
It was also the day in which Bibi was admitted to the hospital for some medical procedure due to a mystery internal Hernia "rapture". (the "official statement")
His operation may have been successful, however, the destructive fractures in Israeli society, and economy has only been expanding, in each passing day, he and his nutty extreme Gov, do not let go, of the ruling power.
The presence of over then 100,000 participants, who arrived in pre-organized bus loads, or transported on their own, from all around the country, filled in the entire space, all the way from the Protest's main stage down Zusman St, bordering the Sacher Park, which adjoins the Israel Government Complex. and toward the Cinema City station
Waving proudly Israeli flags, drumming and blowing all kind of noisy musical instruments, the huddled crowd transmitting electrifying energy, while also chanting and demanding "Bring them now" "you are the head you are to blame" or "Election now"
Those demands were then also voiced by all the superb presenters who, took onto the stage, one after the other, while squeezing tears from the public with their tragic heartbreaking stories, about how they lost their loved ones or about being displaced and abandoned by the current most indifferent callous Gov.
Furthermore, the speakers roused the wrathful protesters, who like a "Greek Choir" echoed the slogans passionately.
"Elections Now"
Eyal Yoffe an Israeli veteran (Col Reserve) served alongside David in the 1974 Yon Kippur war . Eyal is an environmentalist and one of the founder of "Yom Kippur Veterans" org.
In 2023 with the break of protests against the Judiciary Overhaul, he with other Yom Kippur's war veterans “stole“ a 54 ton real burnt tank, left behind on the Golan's battlefield ,where they, and also my husband David fought an heroic battle. .
While transporting the Tank to TLV, Eyal was stopped by the police for not getting a permit to remove such an historical tank. So he than got a permit to loan a tank from a war museum, and was again stopped in the pretext" it was dangerous".
Thus he built from scratch 2 “ fake demo tanks “, which he since, brings over to every protest occasion, One is being placed in Kaplan St in Tel Aviv and the other is now being placed near the Knesset area, during the 4 days of major demonstrations in Jerusalem.
Eyal - a true leader of one out of several, most active protest organizations, has been standing with a microphone (like in the photo above) explaining why "Elections NOW".
is a must, and that Bibi is the "core enabler" in forsaking Haredi civil duties, for the sake of maintaining his coalition intact, and prolonging his stay in power.
Eyal is charismatic, very articulate and can easily and fluidly talk non-stop for 2 hours or more... His bass voice has become a “staple“ feature in all the demonstrations.
Eyal is the great nephew of Israel’s mythological Tank General - Abraham Yoffe, the founder of the national “ Israel Nature and Park Authority “, in which David’s father was the founding scientist, working together.
(David’s father was the first educated Forester in Israel after 2 years in the Dept of Forestry in UC Berkeley 1958-1960 -
No doubt , that fact added to the reasons we ended up living in the Bay Area...
David just got involved with his old "Yom Kippur fighters Veterans" group.)
Yair lapid
Also the opposition leader - Yair Lapid who was one of the powerful speaker at the event, strongly slammed the Gov for its complete failures to bring back the hostages, as well as for the Gov. ineptness in running the state and for the blatant apathy of its ministers toward all those who were severely impacted by the Oct 7th fiasco., treating them despicably as "transparent non-Grata"
Air Force Pilot Eran Schwartz
Moshe Radman
Another powerful voice is that of another leader, one of the most talented - Moshe Radman, who surfaced, also during the
protests against the Gov judiciary
revolution, and who engulfed many groupies after him. He too slammed the Gov and set greatly formulated reasons for why this Gov ruling time has expired.
One additional grievances about which the hostages' families slammed the Gov, is the audacity of the Gov to take a spring brake, during this burning trying war time, when the kidnapped as well as so many citizens, are denied a physical and an emotional respite. .
“Dear Knesset members, if you want a vacation, quit,” said Noga Friedman, one of , whose husband Iddo Rosenthal died defending Kibbutz Alumim during Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel that sparked the conflict.
Along with the families' representatives many more vocal leaders opposing the Gov will speak in the course of the 4 demonstrations days, among them are Yair Golan, Ehud Bark ,and Bogi Yalon
Obviously few disturbances and clashes with the Police at the on going events were unavoidable....
Some weird Right Wing agitator RIF-raf, who pushed his way, and me to the front of the main stage. while waving a huge post which stated " The King of the Messiah will come" . As the sign blocked visibility, the agitated crowd demanded the weird guy to lower the sign down, thus a small stir started and the crowd demanded a police intervention
to remove this Bibi's cultist supporter.
At another corner a furor flared up against the filming crew of TV 14th channel, that its "claim to fame" is being poisonous and deceitful mouth piece for the inept Gov, as well as for spreading conspiracy theories and magnifying divisive messages.
We arrived in Jerusalem at 5:30pm, and made it back home to TlV on the last night train, way after midnight.
However, many of those who arrived, built at the end of the speaking ceremony part, a huge Tent compound, to continue the demonstration for the next 4 days, an amazing operational logistics. full with all day long programs.
Over 500 Tents Compound
"You are the Head you are to Blame". GO
Save our Nation
We whole hardheartedly wish the protesters, ourselves and the entire country a complete success in achieving such a holy mission, and release Israel from all those who brought upon the country and its citizens such disasters and who miserably failed in any aspect to fix it.
A chance to others more competent to bring back the hostages and unite the nation
A chance to a much yearned peace.
