After a long, tumultuous night of protests in his town, Sderot mayor Alon Davidi stood before the cameras the morning of Nov. 14 and tried to relay how frustrated he felt about the cease-fire with Hamas reached the night before. Davidi is no hothead. He identifies with the right and maintains close ties with quite a few members of the government. Nevertheless, his message was clear. He was disappointed with a government that left the people of his town hostages of Hamas. “I have a lot of respect for the government, but in this case, it is wrong,” he told Keshet’s morning show. “Hamas needs to receive a devastating blow … It is a terrorist government and its people should be targeted.”
Like all residents of the south, Davidi expected Hamas' audacious attack, in which almost 500 rockets were fired in 48 hours, to result in a devastating counter-attack. He and the people of his town were prepared to spend many long days and nights in their protected spaces. But then on Tuesday night, they learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet had negotiated a cease-fire.
It was a repeat of what happened after the brief round of fighting in August. Once again, Israelis, particularly residents of the south, first heard the news from the media. The prime minister did not bother to make a public statement, nor did any member of his security cabinet. They were not prepared to explain their decision.
The residents of Sderot responded to the news with a spontaneous demonstration at the main intersection leading into their town. After two long days, they felt neglected, and for good reason. They chanted against the government, with Netanyahu bearing the brunt of their attacks. “Wake up!” they called, and there were even chants of “Bibi go home!” and “We deserve to give our children a normal childhood!” The fact that most people in Sderot identify with the right and that the town is considered a bastion of the Likud only underscored the intensity of their frustration and disappointment with the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. The demonstrations continued into Wednesday and are planned to continue outside the government’s offices such as the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv.
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