Israeli expats protest against Netanyahu at Cambridge University

Israelis in the UK helped keep the pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday by protesting at the University of Cambridge against his handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

It is the second week in succession that Israelis in Britain have voiced their disquiet, with demonstrators last week massing outside the Israeli embassy in London, as thousands rage against the government in cities such as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Once again, the protesters chanted “crime minister” referring to the corruption indictments currently levelled against Netanyahu. He denies any wrongdoing and has refused to resign, even as it makes its way to court.

There were around 50 protesters at the three-hour Sunday demonstration in Cambridge, where many Israelis come either to study, lecture, or work in the city’s burgeoning technology sector.

Yair Perry, one of the organisers, told the University’s Varsity newspaper that the aim of the protest was to “raise our voice and support the demonstrations in Israel calling for the prime minister to resign”.

Israeli PhD student Benji Remez, who attended the rally, said they were “inspired by similar events in London and across the world,” adding that “the Cambridge Israeli community demonstrated in solidarity with the protest movement in Israel”.

Speaking to Jewish News, he said: “We are protesting against the government’s failure to navigate the country through the Covid-19 pandemic, its lack of coherent plans to survive the resulting economic crisis, and the moral and criminal corruption that has spread in it and its premiership.”

Netanyahu’s government has admitted that it lifted lockdown restrictions too soon, leading to a vicious second wave of coronavirus infections, as small businesses and the self-employed said they had been left to deal with the lockdown without support.

The prime minister, who initially won plaudits for being one of the first countries to ban flights from abroad, has since seen his ratings plummet, as he has sought to blame the Israeli public, the media and – in some cases – his fellow ministers.