The campaign to topple Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert shifted to the streets Thursday, with a big rally in Tel Aviv calling for his resignation. Police said more than 100,000 people attended the protest.
Olmert, criticized for his poor handling of last summer's war against Hizbullah, has quashed a rebellion against him in the ranks of his Kadima Party. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, a senior party member, called on him to quit.
"The Israeli people don't trust Olmert and we can't go on like this. What you hear tonight is the voice of the people and you would need to be deaf not to hear a voice this loud," rally organizer Uzi Dayan, a retired senior general, told Reuters.
On his part, Olmert adviser Tal Zilberstein dismissed the rally, saying it would not prompt the prime minister to think again.
