Police clash with Israelis as anti-Netanyahu protesters stage sit-in outside PM’s Jerusalem residence

Israeli police and Jerusalem municipal officials scuffled with protesters demonstrating against PM Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Officers dismantled tents set up by the demonstrators outside the premier’s residence, AP reports.

The demonstrators have staged a sit-in outside Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem for the past month. They called on the PM to resign while facing corruption charges. Demonstrators said police used excessive force to end the sit-in.

Opposition politicians decried the move as a restriction of free expression. Amir Haskel, a former Israeli Air Force general and one of the leaders of the protest, told Army Radio that the demonstrators were undeterred. After Monday’s dismantling of the sit-in, opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted that “Netanyahu has lost public trust.”

Thousands demonstrated on Saturday in downtown Tel Aviv, protesting over what is seen as Netanyahu’s failure to address economic woes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.