There have never been more widespread protests in Israel. The protests are centered on the new coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire to weaken the Supreme Court in its favor. However, the focus of these protests is on Netanyahu, who is attempting to avoid charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
also read: Tensions in Israeli regime escalates, As calls for the arrests of Gantz and Lapid.
The leaders of Israel’s centrist and left-wing opposition parties backed the protest, which was organized by activists from the grassroots. Despite the persistent rain, Israeli media estimated a turnout of 80,000 by 8:30 p.m., and thousands more joined protests in Jerusalem and Haifa.
The protests were a clear illustration of the widening political divide and polarization in Israel and an early indication of the backlash facing the sixth government led by Mr. Netanyahu. Mr. Netanyahu is attempting to limit the powers of the country’s Supreme Court and has argued that the top court has too much influence, just three weeks after his government was sworn in.
Many of the protesters held placards or umbrellas in and around Tel Aviv’s Habima square. However, others carried Israeli flags, which they considered to be a symbol of the contemporary Jewish state whose liberal democracy was in jeopardy.
With his three young children, Uri Kinrot, who lives in Beersheba, a city in the southern Negev desert, attended the demonstration in Tel Aviv. Naturally, he stated, “I am here for myself, but primarily for them to fight so that they can grow up in a democratic country that will give them equal opportunities and equality.”
The police were also put to the test by the Saturday protests. Even though such operational decisions have always been the responsibility of senior police commanders on the ground, ultranationalist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had called for arrests and the use of water cannons against protesters who block roads.
Commanders of the police said that they would only intervene if protesters threatened the peace or broke the law and that they would only allow peaceful demonstrations to take place. A few hundred protesters attempted to reach a major highway and blocked a major Tel Aviv intersection at the protest’s conclusion. They were contained by the police without the use of water cannons.
source: NYTimes
