Tel Aviv/Berlin.
Benjamin Netanyahu has been Prime Minister again since the end of December. On Saturday evening there were protests against the new government.
Violent protests in Israel: Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening against the new Israeli government Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (73). Israeli citizens also took to the streets in Haifa and Jerusalem.
According to Israeli media, citing police, 80,000 people gathered at the central Habima Square in Tel Aviv. The demonstrators held up signs that read, for example: “Government of shame” or “Overthrow the dictator”. Then, despite the rainy weather, they paraded through the streets showing blue and white Israeli flags.
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The ultra-right and ultra-Orthodox are involved in Israel’s new government
Netanyahu only began his third term as prime minister at the end of December after a year and a half in the opposition. But this time using ultra-right and ultra-orthodox parties. It is the most right-wing government in Israeli history. One project of the new coalition is the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. This is illegal under international law.
Just presented last week Israel’s Justice Minister Jariv Levin a controversial reform project. The proposals include an “exception clause” designed to ensure that Parliament can overturn a Supreme Court decision by a simple majority. The chair of Israel’s highest court, Esther Chajut, warned on Thursday of a “deadly blow” to the independence of judges. Netanyahu is currently on trial on corruption charges. He still rejects them.
Opposition criticizes Israel’s new government: “Losing democracy”
Opposition leader Jair Lapid, Prime Minister of Israel from July to December 2022, sharply criticized the reform plans. These could “endanger the entire legal system of the State of Israel”. Demo participant Hewi Boem told dpa: “If we don’t take to the streets, we will lose our democracy.” The new government is corrupt and criminal.
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The people on the streets followed a call Anti-Corruption Organization, which the opposition parties also supported. Former Defense Minister Benny Gantz called on Friday for “all Israelis, from right and left” to take part in the protest rally and “demonstrate for the preservation of Israeli democracy.” In addition to Gantz, ex-Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli also took part in the demonstration. (AFP/dw)
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