The Israeli opposition maintains the mobilization against Netanyahu's judicial reform

• In Tel Aviv, police have used water cannons to evict activists and several have been detained

Some 260,000 people have left again on Saturday. bado more to the streets of Israel for 11ª A consecutive week was held to protest against the controversial judicial reform promoted by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and which puts judicial independence at risk, according to the opposition that already extends to all social sectors. The most important mobilization has been one more week in Tel Aviv, with 175,000 people chanting slogans such as “Israel is not Iran yet”.

In the capital, the streets are blocked by the gathering of protesters, such as Kaplan street, Ibn Gvirol street or Menachem Begin street. Among the speakers this Saturday are Yaakov Frenkel, Guy Rolnick or Eyal Naveh. Protesters have tried to cut off the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv. Police have used water cannons to evict the activists, equipped with Israeli flags, and there are several detainees.

Government sympathizers have also mobilized and it has been possible to see Hooded groups confront protesters in Tel Aviv. In other places there have been reports of throwing of stones or eggs at protesters and a man has been detained for ramming his car into protesters in Herzliya. 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has been at the demonstration in the city of Ashdod, while the leader of the Labor Party, Merav Michaeli, is in Kfar Saba. There have also been protests in Jerusalem with 10,000 attendees, Ramat HaSharon, Haifa and Rehovot. There are 20,000 protesters in Netanya and 20,000 more adding Herzliya and Raanana. In total, the total number of protesters outside Tel Aviv is estimated at 85,000.

This Saturday the main novelty is the participation for the first time of Bedouin groupsThousands of them in Beersheba, in the Negev, with slogans like “this is our home”, “the same rights and democracy for all” or “collaboration between Jews and Arabs”. A total of 5,000 protesters are estimated to be in Beersheba.

Parliamentary processing

The text of the judicial reform faces a decisive week since, in addition to Other regulations are being processed after this that will allow Prime Minister Netanyahu and other members of the Government to avoid their legal problems. The judicial reform will be submitted to the It went to its second and third reading despite the criticism, which denounced that the Government would assume absolute control over the Judiciary, which would also be tied hand and foot to question the laws approved in the Knesset or Israeli Parliament. The hope of the protesters is the possibility that from the coalition led by Netanyahu the most controversial points of the norm will be softened.