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"Dozens of anti-government activists marched through the streets of West Jerusalem on Saturday night, accusing officials of 'waging' unnecessary wars that are fuelling 'insecurity' across the region. Footage shows a group of protesters beating drums, chanting slogans on megaphones while rallying. Police later dragged demonstrators off the streets before cordoning off the area. "A fascist regime that puts Jewish life above Palestinian life, that creates insecurity in the entire region, and makes sure that life in Israel and Palestine is intolerable for the people here. We want this government to leave," said activist Yael. She went on to criticise the government for putting Israeli and Palestinian lives at risk for the last 'three years', accusing it of waging wars rather than being a 'partner for peace'. "Our life is crazy. We are going from siren to siren, to bomb to bomb, and we need our government to be a partner for peace," she continued. Demonstrators also held placards reading 'Stop the ethnic cleansing', 'End Israel’s thuggery, hypocrisy, brutality', 'Housing is a human right' and 'End this fuc*ing war', among others. Former soldier Max Kresh reported that there are many like him in the army who have 'refused' to serve in order to put pressure on authorities to end the wars. "It's just a government that's acting recklessly, totally self-interested. We have a military that's under extreme pressure, soldiers who are collapsing under the pressure," he said. "This government has no business leading us in any war, has no business sending me or my friends or my neighbours or any of the citizens here to wars to risk their lives when we've seen time and time again that they have no actual plans," he added. It comes after organisations like Movement for Quality Government have recently submitted a petition against the government draft to exempt ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men from mandatory military service and are demanding a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led October 7 attacks. The demonstration is part of a wider wave of anti-government protests across the country, driven by long-standing frustrations with Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership, government policies, and renewed calls for elections. The protest comes as the Israeli military continues its operations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon despite a US-backed ceasefire. The government is also facing pressure to establish a State Commission of Inquiry into the October 7, 2023, attacks."
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