JERUSALEM
The ex-chief of Israel's Mossad Meir Dagan said Saturday that the latest Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip did not make any achievements.
During a rally in central Tel Aviv, Dagan added that the offensive on Gaza came to an end without any achievements.
He said what happened was just a preparation for the next war.
Thousands of Israelis on Saturday staged a protest – the largest in capital Tel Aviv in months – to demand a change of government.
The rally was held on Rabin Square in central Tel Aviv, while participants raised the Israeli flag high.
In the middle of a stage placed at the center of the rally, a major banner featured the phrase "Israel wants change on March 17."
The rally came only ten days before Israel holds snap general elections on March 17.
Participating in the rally was a large number of members of the leftist Meretz Party, which lobbies for peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Thousands of Israelis participated in the rally, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The leftist Peace Now movement, which invited Israelis for the rally, said on Facebook that incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had failed after six years in office.
The movement added that after six years in office, Netanyahu had proved a failure and conditions worsened as Israelis continued to suffer rising commodity and housing prices.
It said security and stability were nowhere to be found in Israel, which also suffered conflicts both at the domestic and international levels.
Dagan, meanwhile, lashed out at Netanyahu for failing to make peace with the Palestinians.
He said he did not want Israel to turn into an "apartheid state" or be held hostage by fear.
