Hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv near the home of Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked on Sunday evening, with a line of police cars separating those who support and those who oppose Yamina Party leader Naftali Bennett's recently announced decision to work towards a unity government with Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid and unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years.
Protesters on the pro-Netanyahu side chanted "Leftist traitors, a danger to the Jews," and held up several signs which labeled Bennett and Shaked as "traitors" and "liars."
By instruction of Israeli police, Knesset Officer Yoav Griff announced on Sunday evening that Yamina MK Ayelet Shaked will receive a private security detail.
Yamina has already announced that starting on Sunday, Bennett will have three personal security guards with him at all times instead of just one.
However, according to the CEO of the non-profit Darkenu organization, Yaya Fink, that might not be enough.
Fink appealed to the head of the Shin Bet, demanding that the organization begin securing Bennett for fear of his safety.
"In recent days, we have witnessed serious incitement on social media against Naftali Bennett, incitement that has intensified in recent hours and has reached alarming proportions," Fink said.
He said that Darkenu made the appeal "in order to prevent a nightmare scenario of an attempt to harm him, 25 years after Rabin's assassination. The public space must not be abandoned, so this coming Wednesday we will reach Rabin Square [in Tel Aviv] to say out loud that the moderate majority is in favor of a unity government."
On the side of the unity government's supporters, protesters held up signs saying "no to a fifth election," as veteran activist Amir Haskel was pictured with a sign referencing a famous quote by the Zionist leader Theodore Herzl, saying "A change government, it is no dream."The Black Flags movement released a statement on Sunday afternoon urging protesters to come out and show their solidarity, warning that right wing protests were planning to arrive outside Shaked's house and that their rhetoric had grown disturbingly violent.
"The incitement that comes out of the courtyard of the defendant and his associates without him doing anything to stop it, may bring Israel back to the days of November 1995," the movement said in a statement, referencing the violent incitement which preceded the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
The group continued saying that "this time, the citizens will not stand aside and will not let the terrible history repeat itself. It is imperative to keep the government of change and each of its members!"
Supporters of the unity government protested at the same location on the previous day, as well as near the homes of Bennett in Ra'anana and New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar in Tel Aviv.Meretz MK Yair Golan took to twitter on Monday to criticize an edited pictured depicting Naftali Bennett wearing the traditional Arab keffiyeh headdress.
"Enough, you've done enough, enough with the incitement, enough with your hatred. Enough," Golan admonished.
די נמאסתם. די עם ההסתה. די עם השנאה שלכם. די. pic.twitter.com/2ApLoRDfCG
— Yair Golan - יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) May 29, 2021