The demonstration against the Israeli government, which took place in Tel Aviv for the 14th consecutive week, began with a minute’s silence in memory of the three killed in the previous day’s attacks. The wave of violence that has taken on new proportions in recent days has not demobilized opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and its plans to take the country’s judicial independence by storm. On the contrary, it showed that the prime minister’s most extremist allies showed signs of impatience over what they see as a weak response to the Hamas attacks.
A several-foot banner with the words crime minister instead of prime minister (crime minister to denote Netanyahu) stood out among thousands of Israeli flags during the demonstration in the capital Tel Aviv. According to the organization, 258,000 people took to the streets. Other demonstrations took place throughout the rest of the country, with a focus on those outside the president’s residence, in Jerusalem.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant came out publicly to criticize the ongoing reform of the judiciary (under which the government has the power to elect judges, in the case of the Netanyahu corruption trial; and gives parliament the power to make decisions of the Supreme Court), or rather, the way in which the protests, including elements of the security forces and the military, left the country vulnerable to attack.
The head of government responded by announcing Gallant’s resignation, sparking outrage among those who believe Israeli democracy is in danger. On March 27, with even more people on the streets, Netanyahu claimed he would suspend plans to avoid “civil war” but would not abandon them. And Gallant remains in office.
iIndifferent to this strategic pause, opponents continue to demonstrate. “Since the government took office, its leaders have engaged in a judicial coup that divides the people., neglecting our security, harming the economy and undermining Israel’s standing in the world. During this current security escalation, ministers have been provoking rather than playing their part,” protest leaders said in a statement ahead of Saturday night’s demonstrations.
Two extremist ministers believed the army’s response was weak, revealing disagreements.
For security reasons, the police and the organization reached an agreement so that the protest in Tel Aviv, which again gathered tens of thousands, would not have a march, as was customary.
In the aftermath of the attacks – one in which an Italian tourist was fatally injured and seven others injured while touring that city; and another shot that killed two Israeli-British girls living in a settlement in the West Bank – as well as the bombing of Hamas positions in Gaza and Lebanon in response to rocket launches, extremist ministers such as Ben Gvir (National Security) or Bezalel Smotrich ( Finance) criticized the government’s response.
Source: DN
