Published: 8 September 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
ON SATURDAY NIGHT, Lilach Bar-Ness stood tall in the unusually hot Jerusalem night, dressed in a white ballgown while she dramatically raised her torch of hope. "There's one thing they can't take from me – it's hope," she declared.
Bar-Ness is a regular at the protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which have continued for 11 consecutive weeks, growing larger each time. By now, they have morphed from a political statement into a uniquely Israeli cultural happening.
Every Saturday night, there are actually three sets of demonstrations. One is outside the Netanyahus' private residence in the opulent coastal village of Caesarea. Others take place at some 310 “Black Flag” protests at junctions and on bridges over major highways throughout the country, catching the attention of the cars making their way home after the Sabbath. On the Halacha Bridge over the Tel Aviv freeway, even entertains the flag wavers.
But the real happening takes place in Jerusalem, just outside the prime minister's official residence on Balfour Street. Protesters have even coined a new Hebrew verb, ‘l’balfar’, which means to demonstrate on Balfour Street – even though the police don't actually let them get to Balfour Street and the real location is known as Paris Square. But l'balfar sounds better.
Some 10,000-15,000 people, most of them 20-40 years old, crowd the streets surrounding Balfour/Paris Square. The demonstrations are organised by a loose-knit network of activist groups, who mostly communicate through WhatsAp. No one seems to be in charge, and there's no command centre. The demonstrations are loud and raucous, savvy and full of chutzpah, with no pushing or aggression.
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Their number includes a band of volunteer doctors and counsellors, a large meditation circle where the incense does little to mask the aroma of marijuana, and sometimes, on the sidelines, a massage table.
The protesters don’t all agree what they are protesting about – their causes include the mismanagement of the corona crisis; the government's stingy and inadequate response to their economic problems; Netanyahu's personal corruption and his insistence on holding on to his position despite his ongoing trial for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud; the insensitivity of the government and its bloated 35 ministries; police brutality; violence against women; the annexation of the West Bank; what they perceive as Israel's regression towards authoritarian rule; or various other issues as they come up.
But one thing unites them all: the demand that Bibi must go.
The atmosphere is good and the energy is high. These demonstrations are like a really good rock concert, but without the music. Like Woodstock with a purpose.
ONE OF THE MOST DISTINCTIVE features of these demonstrations is the array of signs that people bring each week, reflecting the diversity of their grievances.
Some hold the signs that read "Crime Minister" or "We're Sick of You," prepared by the organisers. But especially noticeable are the hand-made signs and costumes. These are individual expressions that show how deeply committed these Israelis are to their country. As people mill about, they snize (smile with their eyes because of their masks) and offer a thumbs-up to particularly stand-out signs.
Most often, many of the signs respond to recent events. Following a particularly violent police response last week, this week's demonstrations brings signs reading, "Hit me Nisso one more time" - a clever riff on Britney Spears' "One More Time" and Police Chief Superintendent Nisso Guetta, who was caught on film beating demonstrators. (Nisso was immediately returned to the action.)
A woman chooses to dress in a comic police outfit, offering heart-shaped decals to anyone who wanted and saluting wildly.
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The demonstrators love to co-opt insults. After Bibi's son, Yair, called the demonstrators aliens and anarchists, one man appears with a sign reading, "I'm an alien," while his young son's sign says, "I'm a little alien".
One's woman sign reads, "I may be an alien, but I'm at home," while dozens of people show up in home-made incarnations of aliens and E..T-like characters, complete with flashing strobes, heart lights, various forms of sci-fi headgear, and T-shirts with the slogan, "We Come in Peace". Others appear with signs reading Anarchist 1 and Anarchist 2, the graphics reminiscent of Dr. Seuss' .
Some signs relate to Judaism and Zionism. "The Second Balfour Declaration," reads one, a reference to both the British commitment to support the establishment of a Jewish national home and the current resident of Balfour Street.
"Herzl would have jumped off his porch," says another, a reference to the iconic picture of Theodore Herzl, the founder of political Zionism, looking out from a balcony. Others have created a papier mache golden calf (a reference to the Children of Israel in the desert in Exodus 32:4) in protest at Netanyahu's extravagance, while others carry signs with Biblical quotes such as, "Justice, justice thou shalt pursue" (Deuteronomy 16:20) and "Let Your people go" (a pointed paraphrase of Exodus 8:1).
Shoshke – a well-known costume of a buffoon-like "naked" woman created and worn by cartoonist Zeev Engelmayer – always makes an appearance. But at the last demonstration, police arrested and strip-searched him, apparently, according to Haaretz, because the outfit was suspected to be an offensive portrayal of Netanyahu's wife, Sarah.
Every week, at some point in the demonstration, a submarine surfaces, floats back and forth through the crowd, who applaud and make way, then returns to its dock down the street. The submarine is a reference to another corruption case in which Netanyahu has been implicated, although no charges have been brought.
Opponents ofthe demonstrations have claimed that they serve as corona virus transmission centres, although there is scientific evidence, from Israel and abroad, that open-air demonstrations may not lead to contagion. But should there be any doubt, one demonstrator carried a sign saying it was better to be sick in a democracy than to be healthy in a dictatorship.
Several protestors carry a large banner, in Hebrew and Arabic, reading, "We are the revolution." Says another: "I got a call from the future – he said he isn't coming". A bit more racy: one man carries a sign promising to give up sex for a month if Bibi would just resign. And a gay couple carry a sign that reads, "Good night, my daughter. Daddy loves you. I went out to bring you a better future."
Many carry a one-word poster: "Go!" But most of the protesters carried the "sign" that matters to them the most – the Israeli flag, which they wave in answer to the prime minister who calls them traitors.
They are telling the world, and themselves, that this country and its promise are very dear to them, and that they continue to demonstrate for their future - even if, at least in the short run, Netanyahu is not showing any sign that he intends to vacate his residence on Balfour Street near Paris Square any time soon.
Photo: Protester dressed up as a clown (Eetta Prince-Gibson)
