Singing "
Bibi ciao
" to the
popular
tune of Italian revolutionary song Bella Ciao, around 2,000 Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem on Saturday evening to celebrate the "
victory,
" on the eve of the expected end of the reign of outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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About twenty meters from the highly secure official residence of the Prime Minister, Ofir Robinsky, a father familiar with the protests against Mr. Netanyahu, nicknamed "
Bibi
", can not hide his joy.
“
For us, it's a big night and tomorrow will be an even bigger day.
I almost cry.
We fought peacefully for that and that day is coming,
”he says, Israeli flag, blue and white, in hand.
"
Netanyahu only sought to divide us, one part of society against the other, but tomorrow we will be united, right, left, Jews, Arabs,
" adds Mr. Robinsky, for whom the future prime minister, except last-minute reversal, Naftali Bennett, "
made the right choice
" by joining the "
change
"
coalition
.
For nearly a year, Israelis have been demonstrating outside the Prime Minister's official residence on Balfour Street in central Jerusalem to demand the departure of Benjamin Netanyahu, on trial for corruption, embezzlement and abuse of power in a series of cases .
And this Saturday's rally could be the last because Parliament is due to meet on Sunday for a vote of confidence to validate the “
change
”
coalition project
bringing together parties from the left, the center, the right and an Arab formation.
Under the terms of the coalition agreement, Bennett will succeed Benjamin Netanyahu for two years, before being replaced by centrist Yair Lapid.
“
It's our last Saturday in Balfour Square.
We won.
Tomorrow, the Knesset (Parliament) will hold its vote and this Prime Minister will leave.
I am not stressed!
It's good, it's over, he's leaving
, ”says Gali Israel Tal, a 62-year-old protester.
Strident vuvuzelas, beating drums, t-shirt signed in Hebrew "
Bibi Lekh
" ("
Netanyahu get out
"), about 2,000 demonstrators, including former army chief Moshe Yaalon, took part in the demonstration.
But other regulars of anti-Netanyahu protests say they fear that the prime minister, described by some as a "
political magician
", pull a rabbit out of his hat to stay in power in extremis.
"
We are on the verge of ending a dark era for Israel,
" notes Ram Shamir, a protester for whom the year of protests against Benjamin Netanyahu "
surely
" contributed to the end of his reign. And to add: "
we will sleep with our shoes and one eye open (...)
".