18th weekend of rallies as protesters demand overhaul negotiations not drag on
Lapid vows to ‘leave no stone unturned’ in effort to reach consensus in ongoing talks at President’s Residence, but says won’t let coalition ‘just stall for time’
For the 18th week in a row, tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Israel on Saturday evening against the government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system, seeking to maintain a vocal opposition to the currently-paused legislative proposals amid ongoing negotiations to reach a broad consensus for reform.
The main demonstration was held at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, which opened with the singing of national anthem “Hatikva.” Hebrew media outlets estimated turnout at 100,000-180,000.
“We must understand the threat hasn’t been removed and looms over us… because if we blink for a moment they’ll exploit the opportunity,” former minister Tzipi Livni told the protesters, referring to the frozen legislation.
Rallies were also held in other cities and sites throughout the country, including some 7,000 near the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where the overhaul compromise talks are being held.
“We’ll leave no stone unturned to see if there’s a chance to reach a historic agreement that will be with us for a hundred years into the future, but we won’t let them just stall for time to save their government,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said at a protest in Rehovot.
“This government can’t hold talks at the President’s Residence while at the same time slandering the High Court and sending thugs to the streets,” he added.
“This government needs to take all the bills off the Knesset table and to understand: There won’t be a situation in which the coalition chooses judges for itself. This won’t happen, not on our watch.”
National Unity chief Benny Gantz, whose opposition party has recently seen a massive rise in polls, told demonstrators in Netanya he hoped for progress in the negotiations being hosted by President Isaac Herzog but that he’ll “reevaluate” if there’s not.
“I’m not willing to be satisfied with [only] dialogue, even though I was the first to call for it. I want to see progress toward a solution, and if there is no progress, we will reevaluate,” he said.
“This is an important fight for a democratic country, but not far from here are demonstrators who think otherwise. I respect everyone and will represent everyone,” Gantz added.
Ahead of the demonstrations, protest organizers called on Lapid and Gantz to end their participation in the talks soon, saying that the discussions with the coalition were “a plot by [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to waste time in order to pass a budget.”
If a resolution is not reached in the coming days, they said, the opposition should exit the negotiations.
In Tel Aviv, former foreign minister Tzipi Livni urged protesters to continue showing up even during the compromise negotiations, explaining that “the threat isn’t over and is hovering over us” and that “if we blink even for a second, they will seize the opportunity.”
Saturday night’s protests come after organizers held a “day of equality” on Thursday that saw protesters carry out acts of civil disobedience, including blocking major highways, around the country. Activists also staged demonstrations outside the homes of prominent cabinet ministers as well as offices of state religious institutions.
Although the coalition’s legislative program to remake the legal and judicial system is currently on hold, organizers are seeking to prevent a decline in the fervor of the protests, fearing the coalition could resume legislation at any moment.
The government’s planned judicial overhaul has sparked widespread opposition across Israel, with senior legal, security, and economic figures warning the move will undermine democracy by removing the system of checks and balances and as such will harm the country’s security and economy. Proponents argue they are defending democracy by reining in an activist court.
Also Saturday, Ra’am MK Mansour Abbas — whose Islamist party was part of the last coalition — denied a report that he could back the proposed judicial changes in exchange for funding for Arab communities.
The comments came after Channel 12 reported Thursday that Justice Minister Yariv Levin was holding talks with Abbas in an effort to enlist him as a “safety net” in case the talks at the President’s Residence don’t lead to a compromise reform package.
Abbas told the network he had spoken with Levin about addressing criminal violence in Arab towns, but insisted he would not agree to harm the independence of the judiciary. He also called the High Court of Justice the protector of minorities.
Along with the protests against the judicial overhaul, the government is also facing rising discontent on other fronts, with a poll published Friday by Channel 12 finding high levels of disapproval including among voters of parties in the coalition.
Following a day of fighting against Gaza-based terror groups this week and a series of recent deadly attacks in the West Bank, the poll asked how Netanyahu’s government was doing on security: 76 percent of respondents said it was performing badly and only 20% thought it was doing well, with the rest not knowing. Among government supporters, those numbers were at 60%, 36% and 4% respectively.
As violent crime surges, 84% of the respondents said the government was doing poorly in the war on crime, with only 11% approving. Seventy-two percent of the coalition’s backers also said the government was doing badly, while 21% said it was doing well.
With inflation up, 86% gave the government a thumbs down on the cost of living, versus 11% who said it’s doing a good job. Three-quarters of voters of parties in the government said it was doing poorly, and 20% said it was doing well.
The survey was conducted by veteran polling agency Midgam. The network did not provide details on how many participants were in the poll or the margin of error.
The Times of Israel Community.