Israel is suffering the “worst crisis since its creation” under Netanyahu’s leadership, a former Mossad director told a crowd of up to 50,000 who called for Benjamin Netanyahu to be replaced as the prime minister in national elections scheduled to be held on March 17.
Meir Dagan, the former Mossad director spoke of the government’s lack of vision and inability to properly direct the country surrounded by enemies.
“I am frightened by our leadership. I am afraid because of the lack of vision and a loss of direction. I am frightened by the hesitation and the stagnation [of Israel’s government]. And I am frightened, above all else, from a crisis in leadership,” he said, adding that “it is the worst crisis that Israel has seen to this day.”
“Israel is a nation surrounded by enemies, but our enemies are not the ones that scare me,” Dagan said blaming Netanyahu for failing to lead at least one “sincere initiative to foment change in the region or to craft a better future,” RT reported.
In response, the Likud party stated that the gathering - attended by 30 to 50 thousand people, from various estimates - was orchestrated and funded by millions of dollars from abroad in order to “change the nationalist Likud government headed by Netanyahu with a left wing government,” which will be supported by the Arab parties, according to the Times of Israel.
Dagan added, “Under Netanyahu’s watch, our relations with the United States have deteriorated to unprecedented depths,” he said. “Our health system is collapsing. The housing crisis has reached new heights. The socioeconomic gaps continue to widen. The distance between the poor, rural areas and the Center has never been greater. One of every three Israeli children is poor. Forty percent of Israelis can’t make ends meet.”
34,000 Gazan Women Displaced
Last year’s Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip has led to the displacement of 34,697 Palestinian women, while 791 others lost their spouses, a Palestinian NGO said.
“Israel committed war crimes against Gazan women,” Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement marking International Women’s Day.
“According to the monitoring and documentation operations carried out by the center, last summer’s Israeli war on the strip has left 293 women dead,” the NGO said.
“Moreover, 34,697 women have been displaced after their homes were destroyed, while Israeli forces razed 2,604 other homes owned by women,” the NGO added.
The center added that “791 Gazan women have lost their husbands because of the war, and 600 others suffered abortions.”
Women in Gaza are living under dire conditions due to the Israeli blockade on the strip, which has been imposed since 2007, coupled with destruction caused by the 51-day onslaught on the strip last year, which left over 2,000 dead and thousands injured, the NGO noted.
The center urged international rights group to support Gazan women and protect them against the continuous Israeli violations they’re forced to endure.
