Week 27 of Historic Protests Against Judicial Overhaul in Israel: ‘We Will Oppose You With Every Nonviolent Means We Have’
For the 27th consecutive weekend, hundreds of thousands of Israelis across the country staged demonstrations against the government’s controversial plan to limit the judiciary’s power.
Crowd Solutions, a crowd-assessment firm, estimated over 140,000 protesters in Tel Aviv alone based on aerial imagery. However, protest organizers claimed numbers closer to 180,000.
World-renowned Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari addressed the main demonstration in Tel Aviv. “The time to stop the Netanyahu government is now,” he declared, tying the government’s judicial shake-up to Israel’s military control over Palestinians in the West Bank. “If you unilaterally pass a single one of your regime coup bills, we will oppose you with every nonviolent means we have,” he said.
Professor Hagai Levin warned of impending major strikes in the health system if the bill passes. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, journalist Matti Friedman cautioned that the current situation could lead Israel down a path similar to that of conflict-ridden Lebanon.
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After the main demonstration ended, a motorcyclist hit protesters who were blocking traffic on the Ayalon Highway. The man hit by the motorcyclist was reportedly in good condition. The cyclist was not arrested.
This weekend’s rallies marked the first under Tel Aviv District deputy police chief David Filo, following the departure of district chief Amichai Eshed, whose resignation sparked spontaneous mass protests.
Several thousand members of the “Brothers in Arms” protest group, representing army reservists and veterans, demonstrated throughout the night against the judicial overhaul outside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s home. Gallant previously called for a freeze in the legislation due to “tangible danger” to state security after military reservists threatened to stop showing up for duty.
The government is set to give preliminary approval this week to a bill that would prevent the judiciary from reviewing the “reasonableness” of government decisions. The coalition aims to pass the bill this month.
Protest organizers say Tuesday will be a “Day of Resistance” with demonstrations of unprecedented scale if the bill passes its first reading. Dozens of tech companies have permitted employees to take Tuesday off to protest.
Ex-Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who also served as defense minister and military chief of staff, suggested that soldiers refuse to serve if the bill becomes law, a sentiment that prompted Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem to call for his arrest and interrogation.
