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protests Israel
These drone images illustrate the force of the protests: Around 100,000 people demonstrated in Tel Aviv against the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - in particular against a planned judicial reform.
People gathered at several locations in the center of the Israeli coastal city.
The judiciary reform provides that parliament can overturn decisions of the Supreme Court with a simple majority - in the eyes of the demonstrators a dangerous undermining of the separation of powers.
Amid Melomad, Law student
»I am protesting because democracy is at stake in Israel, I am a student, a law student, and when I heard about the reform of the legal system, I was shocked.
I don't want to imagine what consequences the changes they want to make would have on democracy in Israel.
It's basically regime change and we as students are protesting against it and wanting to save our democracy.
«
It was the largest demonstration to date against the new government, which was sworn in at the end of December.
Posters read:
»
Stop the end of democracy
«
,
»
Our children will not live in a dictatorship
«
or
»
Israel, we have a problem
«
.
Amnon Miller, Project Manager
“We fight for democracy, we fought for our freedom in this country for 30 years in the army and we will not let this government take our freedom.
We fight for democracy.«
Ex-Prime Minister Jair Lapid, who is leading the opposition to the new government, backed the protests at the rally.
Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition and ex-Prime Minister
»What you see here today is a demonstration in support of the country.
It's a demonstration for the country.
People who love the country have come here today to defend its democracy, to defend its courts, to defend the idea of coexistence and the common good.
It's people here who love Israel, who came to demonstrate for a democratic Jewish state based on the values of the Declaration of Independence, and we won't give up until we win.
«
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against the most right-wing government in Israel's history last Saturday.
Netanyahu governs in a coalition with ultra-Orthodox and extreme nationalists.
He has described the protests, which have been going on for weeks, as a refusal by left-wing opponents to recognize the results of the November 2022 election.
