On the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 24, when the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv was filled with Israelis rushing home for Shabbat, a group of hostages’ family members set up a table in the middle of the road. Complete with a white tablecloth, challah, wine, and candles, the Shabbat table was then set ablaze by the activists — members of the protest group “Sha’ar Begin,” named for the site outside the Israeli military headquarters in central Tel Aviv where they have regularly demonstrated in support of a hostage deal. The family members, along with a few dozen supporters, blocked traffic while holding photos of their loved ones who have been in Gaza for nearly 500 days.
The protest was deliberately timed to take place a day before the scheduled release of four female Israeli army spotters, as part of the first phase of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. It was led by families of hostages expected to be freed in later phases of the deal, who fear that Netanyahu will torpedo the agreement to secure his political survival…..more