Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Friday, September 22, 2023

2,000 Israeli expats, US Jews protesting Netanyahu outside UN as PM readies to start speech

By Lazar Berman and Luke Tress 22 September 2023, 4:14 pm 0 Edit

An anti-judicial overhaul rally outside the UN in New York, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly, on September 22, 2023 (Luke Tress / Times of Issrael.

Around 2,000 people protest outside UN Headquarters in New York ahead of Netanyahu’s speech to the General Assembly.

Filling a plaza across from the General Assembly, the Israeli-led crowd includes many non-Israeli US Jews, with Israeli flags bearing the slogan “free in our land” — a line from Israel’s national anthem.

The gathering appears to be the largest protest focused on the judicial overhaul held outside Israel since the government unveiled the legislation early this year.

Drummer from the Pink Front Israeli protest group leads the chants of, “We’re not afraid,” using the feminine form in Hebrew, and “This is what democracy looks like”, in English, and “We won’t give up” in both languages.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s entourage is in the hall ahead of his UN General Assembly speech.

A handful of Jews and Israelis supportive of Netanyahu fill the rows in the upper balcony at the UN Assembly Hall.