Police Say 5,000 People Rally Near Netanyahu Residence, Media Report About 15,000

TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2020) About 5,000 people gathered in front of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Jerusalem on Saturday evening as anti-government protests in Israel entered the fifth consecutive weekend, police told Sputnik.

Channel 13, in turn, reports about 15,000 demonstrators on the ground. Police have deployed reinforcements to the scene.

"The police have authorized the evening demonstration. [We] ensure the security of the event, but at the same time intend to prevent any unrest. The police urge the demonstrators to follow the Health Ministry's instructions," the law enforcement said.

The prime minister, meanwhile, took to Twitter to accuse the press of pandering to demonstrators.

"While Prime Minister Netanyahu is fighting to restore the economy and transfer financial aid to Israeli citizens, channel 12 [Israeli television] is doing everything possible to excuse the far-left demonstrations, backed by [Yair] Lapid [leader of the opposition Yesh Atid party] and Aiman Uda [leader of the Arab Joint List alliance], who incite to the murder of the prime minister and his family," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter.

Netanyahu has earlier complained about him and his family receiving threats on social media.

Protesters in Israel have been ongoing over the past several weeks, with the demonstrators urging the prime minister to resign over corruption charges and the cabinet's coronavirus response.