Mass protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following news of the killing of six hostages by Hamas had subsided by the weekend in Israel, but weekly protests are likely to continue on a smaller scale.
As Israelis heard the news of the horrific massacre, hundreds of thousands took to the streets last Sunday and Monday. Some hostage families and left-wing activists blamed Prime Minister Netanyahu for the failure to reach a hostage deal with Hamas, even though he had agreed to the terms proposed by the Biden administration.
The country's trade union federation called a general strike and it looked like the country would come to a standstill.
But Netanyahu's government appealed to the courts, which found the strike illegal, and it ended almost immediately after it began. Turnout was lower than expected, and some cities refused to take part. “It was a total failure. It was not a general strike,” said conservative author Caroline Glick.
According to Glick, the key to turning the tide of public opinion were two press conferences – one in Hebrew, one in English – in which Netanyahu insisted that Israel should retain control of the Gaza-Egypt border.
Reviewing recent polling data from before and after the press conference, Glick said, “He was very persuasive and persuaded people who disagreed to go along with his position.” Despite President Joe Biden's claims that Netanyahu was an obstacle to the hostage deal, only about 30% of Israelis agreed, and between 60% and 75% supported Netanyahu's approach to the war and hostage negotiations, depending on the issue, she said.
Joel B. Pollack is executive editor of Breitbart News. Breitbart News Sunday Airs Sundays from 7-10pm (4-7pm ET) on SiriusXM Patriot. He is the author of “Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for preorder on Amazon, and “Trumpish Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump's Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is the 2018 recipient of the Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter Joel Pollack.
