Likud ministers said to back out of NYC’s Celebrate Israel Parade

Likud ministers Nir Barkat and Ofir Akunis have decided not to participate in today’s Celebrate Israel Parade in New York City, amid protests that are set to take place against the government and its plans to overhaul the judiciary, the Walla news site reports.

The report says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office requested that there be fewer ministers participating in the march, after at least nine government ministers traveled or were planning to travel to New York to participate.

Several MKs are also at the march, including Religious Zionism’s Simcha Rothman, who is leading the government’s judicial overhaul push and expected to face significant protests.

The march is a major event for the city’s Jewish community and a high-profile display of solidarity with the Jewish state often attended by local politicians.