Hundreds protested against the government in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, decrying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus crisis and the cabinet's recent decision to clamp down on demonstrations while the pandemic races through the country.
Fifteen protesters were arrested after clashing with police forces.
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The police are also investigating a ramming attempt that allegedly took place during the protest. Footage posted on social media shows a car speeding toward a group of demonstrators before fleeing the scene. Two women were reportedly slightly hurt in the incident and were treated on site.
A police official told Israeli media that investigators "have a lead on the driver and are working to locate him."
The Black Flags group organizing the nationwide protests against the prime minister said the incident was "the result of Netanyahu's incitement. It is time for the attorney general to wake up – before we have to go to [protesters'] funerals."
The Crime Minister protest group also condemned the incident, saying that "the impending demise of the regime led by the defendant from Balfour Street [a reference to the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem] is accompanied by extremely violent incidents and it is a miracle that so far, no one has been killed.
"We will not be deterred and we will continue to protest until you [Netanyahu] step down," the group asserted.
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