Israeli opposition parties call for Netanyahu's resignation

Several Israeli opposition parties have called for Netanyahu's resignation following the wave of violence that has gripped Israel and Palestine.

The secular party Meretz called for Netanyahu’s resignation on Saturday night during a protest in front of his official residence in Jerusalem.

Party chairwoman Zehava Gal-On urged the prime minister to negotiate with the Palestinians instead of “managing the conflict”.

“Whoever doesn’t recognize this threat and continues to play the victim, finding excuses for refusing [to negotiate] and blabbering about Iran, and bribing his friends with natural gas or a casino in Eilat, is a failed prime minister who is not worthy of being prime minister and has to go home,” she said at a Meretz demonstration near the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.

“The whole country is on fire, and instead of voicing hope and calm, what we hear are messages of hatred, incitement and racism from rabbis, from organizations that already committed hate crimes in the past and from right-wing politicians,” she added.

Kinesset member (MK) Yoel Hasson of the Zionist Union, a former Likud activist and aide to Likud MKs, said that many leaders who sat in the building outside which he was demonstrating knew how to fight terrorism, but not Netanyahu.

"For six years, Netanyahu has been prime minister and didn't do anything to create a diplomatic horizon. For six years he abandoned the Palestinian arena and the result is dozens of terrorist attacks in recent days. Netanyahu is not using a strong enough hand against terrorism and isn't presenting a diplomatic horizon. Today, the nation knows Netanyahu is not a leader," Hasson stated.

MK Eitan Broshi, also of the Zionist Union, however, said he supports the prime minister, defense minister and public security minister in their fight against terrorism.