Police Use Water Cannon to Disperse Anti-PM Crowd

Israeli police sprayed a crowd of protesters with a water cannon on Motzei Shabbos as they tried to disperse demonstrators calling for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s resignation over corruption charges.

Temperatures were about 50 degrees Fahrenheit on a raw winter evening when the crowd was sprayed. The protesters have been gathering every week near Netanyahu’s official residence in Yerushalayim for over seven months, but the use of water cannon is rare.

In a statement, police said hundreds of protesters took part in the demonstration. They accused some protesters of unruly behavior, including throwing objects and trying to break through a police barricade. It said one officer was lightly hurt, and several protesters were arrested.

Around 1,000 people took part. Police said that the water cannon was used when protestors approached the President’s Residence and attempted to break through a checkpoint.

The protesters say Netanyahu cannot serve as prime minister when he is on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate cases.

Reporting by the Associated Press.