Protests against Netanyahu continue in Israel

Israeli police have arrested 11 people during massive protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the protesters were arrested outside the prime minister's Jerusalem residence early on Sunday because they had been forbidden from marching beyond a designated area.

An estimated 10,000 Israelis turned out in Jerusalem late on Saturday, while many more protested outside Netanyahu's private villa north of Tel Aviv and on bridges over highways across the country.

Read more: What's behind Israel's growing protests?

The demonstrators are demanding that Netanyahu step down until he has proved his innocence in a corruption trial that began in May.

'We won't give up until Bibi resigns'

Demonstrations after sunset on Saturday have become a weekly occurrence, and people hit by restrictions to curb a second wave of coronavirus in the country have recently joined the political protesters. The country is currently coping with a new spike in COVID-19 cases.

The demonstrators waved Israeli flags and chanted: "We won't give up until Bibi resigns," Bibi is Netanyahu's nickname.

Netanyahu has tried to play down the protests, but they have taken place several times a week throughout the summer, and were not slowed down by the Israel-United Arab Emirates peace treaty, widely seen in Israel as a major foreign policy achievement for Netanyahu. 

bk/aw (dpa, AP)