Foreign Affairs

Israel

Video: 150,<> people in the streets of Tel Aviv sing the country's anthem in protest

250,<> people take to the streets across the country against judicial reform. Some try to block the highway. Next Thursday will be the "Day of Growing Resistance"

11/03/2023

Some 250,95 demonstrators are protesting in 150 locations across Israel against the judicial reform of Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government. In Tel Aviv alone, according to media estimates, there are about 50,<> and in Haifa, in the north of the country, <>,<>. Some have even attempted to block highways. Organizers have already announced a new national protest, "Day of Growing Resistance," for next Thursday, when Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to leave for Berlin. The intention is to replicate what happened last Thursday when the prime minister flew to Rome for the meeting with Giorgia Meloni.

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This is one of the most critical weeks in safeguarding Israeli democracy," protest organizers said, referring to the fact that the government, despite all appeals to confrontation, especially from President Isaac Herzog, intends to speed up the approval of the reform and the limitation of the powers of the Supreme Court in the Knesset. As always, the slogan most shouted in the demonstrations was "Democracy" and "Shame" addressed to the government. Opposition leader Yair Lapid in recent days has floated the idea that Israel's 1948 Declaration of Independence will become Article 1 of a constitutional charter that is missing in the country. Meanwhile, police chief Kobi Shabtay admitted that he made a "mistake" in firing Tel Aviv police commander Amichai Eshed on Thursday, under pressure from National Security Minister for failing to control the anti-reform protests that day.