Israeli Police Use Water Cannon to Disperse Anti-PM Crowd

A protester wears a shirt that reads "go", waves a flag while others gather under a bridge on their way to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A protester wears a shirt that reads "go", waves a flag while others gather under a bridge on their way to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
TT
20

Israeli Police Use Water Cannon to Disperse Anti-PM Crowd

A protester wears a shirt that reads "go", waves a flag while others gather under a bridge on their way to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
A protester wears a shirt that reads "go", waves a flag while others gather under a bridge on their way to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Israeli police sprayed a crowd of protesters with a water cannon Saturday night as they tried to disperse demonstrators calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's resignation over corruption charges.

Temperatures were about 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) on a raw winter evening when the crowd was sprayed.

The protesters have been gathering every week near Netanyahu's official residence in Jerusalem for over seven months, but the use of water cannons is rare.

In a statement, police said hundreds of protesters took part in the demonstration, The Associated Press reported.

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.

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.

They also accuse him of mismanaging the coronavirus crisis, with unemployment in double digits after a series of nationwide lockdowns.

The country is in the midst of its third lockdown, despite one of the world's most successful vaccination campaigns.

Israel is preparing to hold new elections March 23.



Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
TT
20

Vatican Cancels Pope’s Weekend Engagements as He Battles ‘Complex’ Infection 

Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)
Pedestrians walk past the statue of Pope John Paul II outside the Gemelli hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalized for tests and treatment for an infection in Rome, on February 18, 2025. (AFP)

Pope Francis, who began his fifth day in hospital on Tuesday for what doctors have described as a "complex" respiratory infection, will not take part in this weekend's Holy Year events, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Friday.

A planned public papal audience set for Saturday had been cancelled "due to the health condition of the Holy Father", the Vatican said in a brief statement.

A papal mass scheduled for Sunday will still take place, but will be led instead by a senior Vatican official, it added.

The Vatican said on Monday that doctors had changed the pope's drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle a "complex clinical situation". They described it as a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract".

Doctors say polymicrobial diseases can be caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria and fungi.

Francis, who has been pontiff since 2013, has had influenza and other health problems several times over the past two years. As a young adult he developed pleurisy and had part of one lung removed, and in recent times has been prone to lung infections.