Demonstrators take to the streets for the 23rd week, protesting against controversial court plans and deadly violence affecting minority Palestinian communities in Israel.
Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in cities and towns across Israel for a 23rd week, protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government’s controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary, as well as deadly violence affecting Palestinian communities in the country
The mass demonstrations, which drew about 100,000 people on Saturday, began in January shortly after Netanyahu’s far-right government was sworn in.
Gaining momentum and seeing a large turnout of more than 200,000 protesters at times, protest organizers have said they will not give up until the government cancels the proposed legal changes rather than delaying them.
In central Tel Aviv, protester Michal Gat said: “Our country is being captured by extreme people … they are holding us hostage.”
“It is very important for the Israeli people to keep Israel a democracy,” the 47-year-old tech worker told the AFP news agency.
Some people at the protest also carried signs criticizing the government’s inaction on a growing crime wave that has affected Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Since the beginning of the year, some 102 Palestinian-Israelis have been killed in crime-related violence, according to Israeli media.
On Thursday, five Palestinian-Israelis were shot dead at a car wash in Yafia, a village near the city of Nazareth, police said.
Palestinian citizens of Israel have long complained of discrimination and police inaction against the violence and crime that disproportionately affects their communities.
“We will not leave it [Itamar] Ben-Gvir gets away with murders in Arab society,” read one protest sign, referring to Israel’s far-right security minister.
Another sign read “dead class citizen,” a play on the phrase second-class citizen.
Organizers said demonstrations were also held in the cities of Haifa and Rehovot.
In Haifa, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak called for a nonviolent civil uprising against Netanyahu’s government, saying “this is not the time for a dead time.”
“We must not fall into illusions… The protest must intensify and become a civil uprising. Non-violent civil disobedience,” he said.
Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, had announced in March a “pause” in judicial review plans to allow talks on the divisive changes.
But months of talks have produced no progress.
And the judicial review bill, which would weaken courts and limit oversight of laws and government decisions, could return to a final vote in parliament at any time, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu’s government, a coalition between his Likud party and far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies, argues the changes are needed to rebalance powers between lawmakers and the judiciary.
Last month, when parliament passed Israel’s state budget, Netanyahu pledged to “continue our efforts to reach as broad an agreement as possible on legal reform.”
Critics say the bill poses a direct threat to civil rights and warn that it will give the government unfettered power as well as disrupt the country’s system of checks and balances.
