JERUSALEM

Israeli opposition leader Yair Golan called Monday for shutting down the economy and services in Israel to push the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to go for early elections.

"We need to move from protest to resistance, this government is a government of destruction," Golan, who leads the Democrats Party, told local radio FM 103.

He said he invited all opposition leaders, especially leaders of the liberal and democratic parties, to create a common room to coordinate their steps against the Netanyahu government.

Benny Gantz, the leader of the centrist National Unity Party, warned on X that "Netanyahu's undermining of the state's institution will end in a disaster."

Netanyahu has refused to take responsibility for the failures leading to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and rejected opposition calls for holding early elections.

Thousands of Israelis took to the streets in recent days to protest a government decision to fire Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet domestic security agency, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

Israel’s Supreme Court is set to review petitions challenging the dismissal of the Shin Bet chief on April 8.

Bar hinted at “political motives” behind his dismissal, suggesting that Netanyahu’s decision stemmed from his refusal to show “personal loyalty” to the prime minister.

The Israeli army has launched a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza since March 18, killing more than 700 Palestinians, injuring over 1,000 others, and shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 112,000 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught in Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.