Israeli police tear down anti-Netanyahu protest camp

Israeli police have clashed with protesters outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s house, as the embattled prime minister faces heightened criticism for alleged corruption and his government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Jerusalem municipal officials, accompanied by police, arrived outside the premier’s residence just before 6am local time (0400 BST) on Monday and began to dismantle tents of a protest camp that had been erected weeks ago by people calling for Netanyahu to resign.

Video footage showed city officials and police in masks removing banners while scuffling and arguing with people in the street.

Roi Peleg, a protester, accused authorities of excessive force and said a municipal worker accidentally cut him on the forehead with a knife while attempting to remove a banner.

“The inspectors trampled me and five others, and because of their brutal violence, we had to call two ambulances, and one man had to go to hospital,” Peleg told Kan, the public radio broadcaster.

“Throughout this time, as you can see in every video, we begged for explanations and were ignored.”