Hundreds protest judicial overhaul outside US embassy office in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of protesters are gathered outside of the United States’ Tel Aviv Embassy Branch Office, as part of daylong coordinated demonstrations against the Israeli government’s plan to curtail judicial checks on its own power.

Several protesters say they came in order to send a message to the United States to take a more active hand in persuading Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause his coalition’s judicial overhaul.

“I really hope that the US government will exact pressure on Netanyahu,” says Tzili, 72, who came to the protests with an American and an Israeli flag, one for each hand. “Maybe they’ll be our hope.”

Parallel to the main protest, dozens of activist activists against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank are gathered on the Embassy Branch Office’s street side, chanting “Jews and Arabs refuse to be enemies” and holding signs that say “Palestinian lives matter.”

Clad in a shirt representing a military reservists’ protest organization, Harel walks by the anti-occupation demonstration without stopping on the way to the beach.

“The occupation is more of a long-term issue. Today, we need to take care of the judicial coup,” he says.

“That protest weakens the protests. If they succeed in the reform, no one is going to stop the occupation,” he adds.