Israeli politicians call on Netanyahu to demote Likud lawmaker who linked protesters to Hamas

Israel's National Unity chairman Benny Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid have slammed Likud MK Nissim Vaturi following his comments comparing Israeli anti-government protesters to Hamas.

Gantz called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "remove him from his position" as deputy speaker of the Knesset, which Lapid echoed.

"The demonstrators are IDF soldiers and officers, they are the Israeli economy, they are teachers and doctors, they are Zionism in its embodiment," Lapid said.

"Nissim Vaturi, on the other hand, is a man full of hatred whose inflammatory words are used by Israel’s enemies in a lawsuit in The Hague. Likud should have fired him this morning from the position of deputy speaker of the Knesset," he added, saying "they won’t do it, because this government has decided to dismantle the State of Israel. Vaturi is just the symptom."