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Tens of thousands demand Israeli PM's resignation

Tens of thousands of protesters streamed to a central Tel Aviv square after sundown on Thursday, demanding the resignation of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert because of a scathing inquiry report about the way he ordered and handled last summer's bloody, costly but inconclusive war in Lebanon.

Olmert remained defiant, hoping to beat back a rising wave of calls to step down. A day after popular Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni joined the chorus, Olmert's aides felt she had not dealt him a mortal political blow. But they admitted that a large-scale public protest campaign could bring him down.

Thursday's turnout appeared to top 100,000, though police refused to estimate the crowd's size.

It was made up of a cross-section of Israelis -- moderates and hard-liners, secular and religious, young and old, a rare mix symbolizing the widespread dissatisfaction with Olmert. Organizers claimed success, though it remained to be seen whether the outpouring of anger would be enough to oust the prime minister.

"Failures, Go Home!" read the banner behind the podium, referring to Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz. Organizers decided not to allow politicians to address the crowd, to give the gathering a grass-roots nature, said Uzi Dayan, a retired general and a main speaker.

Also addressing the gathering was Moshe Muskal, 50, from the central Israeli town of Mazkeret Batya. His son, Rafnael, was killed during the war.

"I am glad that the public is not passive or despairing," he said after he spoke.

He said the soldiers "fulfilled their mission fully. Our mission is to make our country a little bit better."

The protesters came from all over Israel, including 35 who walked about 70km to Tel Aviv from the southern town of Sderot, a frequent target of rockets from Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Israel went to war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon on July 12 after guerrillas crossed into Israel, killed three soldiers and captured two others.

For many Israelis, the 34-day war was a failure because it didn't achieve the two main goals Olmert set -- returning the soldiers and crushing Hezbollah, which fired nearly 4,000 rockets at northern Israel. The conflict killed 158 Israelis and more than 1,000 Lebanese.
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