Thousands of Israelis demonstrated Saturday night in Tel Aviv against the new government under Benjamin Netanyahu — the most right-wing in the country’s history, according to political analysts.
“United against fascism and apartheid”, “Democracy in danger”, read some of the placards held by protesters, as reported by AFP journalists.
The winner of the Nov. 1 parliamentary election, who has been accused of corruption, took over on Dec. 29 as head of a government formed by a coalition of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.
“I came here today along with thousands of other people. This is the first time, but (the protest movement) will last,” said Omer, a protester who works at a tech company in Tel Aviv.
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The new cabinet has already announced its intentions: among other things, to continue settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories and to implement reforms that raise concerns (such as some related to the judicial system or the LGBTI+ community).
A controversial reform, presented to the press on Wednesday, provides that parliament will be able to overturn a Supreme Court decision by a simple majority.
“We do not want to see our democracy disappear and the Supreme Court destroyed. We want the government to be controlled,” Assaf, a lawyer who declined to give his last name, told AFP.
Waving flags of Israel and the LGBTI+ community, protesters held up banners recalling corruption charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu, evoking memories of the 2020 protest movement calling for his removal from power.
The Likud leader was forced to step down in June 2021 and power was taken over by a motley coalition led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
Source: News Beast
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