AFP :
Several thousand Israelis turned out in Tel Aviv on Sunday, spraying foam and confetti and jumping into fountains to celebrate the establishment of a new government in Israel and to revel in the ouster of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Contrasting emotions were seen in Jerusalem at a small demonstration in support of Netanyahu outside his official residence and in prayers by hundreds of Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall, where an atmosphere of public mourning held sway.
In Tel Aviv, thousands thronged to Rabin Square. Its iconic fountain, so often a scene of revelry at times of national celebration, had been drained due to the nearby construction of a subway line, but revelers brought along a foam cannon and confetti instead.
Some celebrants headed to the fountain in Dizengoff square for a celebratory splash.
“Bibi, go home,” a man led a chant from the podium in Rabin Square, where anti-Netanyahu demonstrators had been calling for him to step down for more than a year.
Participants danced, hugged and cheered. Many brought their children.
In liberal Tel Aviv, turning the page on the 12-year Netanyahu era is considered a “historic” moment, said Chen Nevo, one of those celebrating.
“I’m a little bit in shock because we waited so long for this moment,” said the 49-year-old, who came to the square with her small children despite the late hour.
“They are supposed to sleep right now, but I thought it was really an important moment.”
“I don’t know if the government will last, but it is a change, and we needed a change,” she said, as a Hebrew rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” blared in the background.
The nearby Tel Aviv City Hall was lit up in the colors of Israel’s flag.
Rubi Sofer, 48, also arrived at the celebration with his family in tow.
The foursome all sported black T-shirts emblazoned with the white letters spelling “Get out,” an expression that has been a feature of the anti-Netanyahu protest movement for over a year.
“We don’t like Bibi at all,” said Sofer, adding that they’ve been attending protests every weekend for 10 months.
Among those who took to the stage to lead celebrations was singer Achinoam Nini, also known professionally as Noa, who drew condemnation from across the political spectrum after she referred to Netanyahu as “Haman,” the villain from the Biblical Book of Esther. In an apparently improvised son on her renewed hope for democracy, Nini included the lyric “We got rid of Haman.”
