There will be Passover protests across the country – Israel News

Relatives of the hostages will spend Monday, the night of the Passover Seder, in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu’s home in Caesarea calling for the release of the hostages, a representative of the families involved in the initiative said.

“There is no liberation as long as Hamas holds the hostages,” the families said, citing the significance of Passover as a celebration of liberation.

Family members will speak at the event outside Netanyahu’s home, which will include a “holiday table” among other art installations.

“Netanyahu has enslaved us to Hamas,” the families said in a statement about the event. “Whoever financed the terror organization for years instigated the October 7 attack and is responsible for the kidnapping and death of our loved ones.”

“While Netanyahu and his family gather around the table for a holiday meal, the hostages will continue to rot in Hamas tunnels, a stone’s throw from freedom,” the families said, calling for Netanyahu’s removal from office.

Additional protests and commemorations of the hostages through discussion and prayer were planned for Monday evening at locations across the country.

Passover solidarity

Gather at Hostage Square for a hostage takedown ahead of Passover, April 18, 2024. (credit: DANOR AHARON)

One such initiative invited the public to complete part or all of their Passover Seder on the streets. “If they’re not home, we’re not home either,” reads a flyer for the event. “Tonight we are all hostages.”

“This Passover will be difficult for all of us to celebrate while the hostages are still in Gaza and their families are in panic,” the initiative said. “It will be difficult to stay at home when tens of thousands of people are evacuated from their homes after experiencing horrific trauma.”

“In solidarity with them and to embrace them, we will all leave our homes. We will hold the Seder (or part of it) in the streets.”

A protest installation in Tel Aviv titled “That’s where they die” was planned for Tuesday, the first day of Passover. About 200 people will participate to mark 200 days of captivity, organizers said. Families of hostages will take part in the installation, which organizers say was initiated by Ofer Kalderon’s cousin Ifat Kalderon.

Thousands gathered at rallies and protests across the country on Saturday evening to call for the release of the hostages.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid spoke at a rally in Haifa, saying that “this government is not the country, this government is a disaster that has befallen the country. “For the sake of the hostages, for the sake of the soldiers, for the sake of the evacuees, to save the State of Israel, we need elections now,” he added.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz also spoke in Haifa, saying the Israeli government poses an existential threat to the country. “Netanyahu is an immediate and clear danger to Israel,” he added.

Among the protest organizations involved on Saturday was The Change Generation. “This week we celebrate the holiday of Passover, which reminds us of the danger of a leader whose heart is hardened,” said Josh Drill, a leader with the organization.

“His heart is hardened before our suffering and the suffering of the Israeli hostages dying in Hamas’ terror tunnels. Instead of prioritizing national healing and security, Netanyahu is solely focused on his own political survival,” he said.

Passover solidarity

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