Opposition parties leave Knesset to join Tel Aviv protests

Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel

Labor party leader Merav Michael (R) joins protests in Tel Aviv on March 1, 2023 (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)
Labor party leader Merav Michael (R) joins protests in Tel Aviv on March 1, 2023 (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

Opposition lawmakers leave the Knesset where the government is pushing through legislation as part of its contentions judicial overhaul and go join protests in Tel Aviv.

Labor MKs, led by Merav Michaeli, are the first to head to Tel Aviv, joining protesters and encouraging them.

They are followed by opposition leader Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party.

“We left the Knesset and came here today because if there is a struggle between the government and the people of Israel, we are on the side of the people of Israel,” Lapid says.

Lapid calls on police to ignore the orders given by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to use force to clear away “anarchists.”

“The demonstrators here behind us are Israeli patriots and people who love the State of Israel, who defend the State of Israel,” Lapid says.

“This is a fight for the nature of Israeli democracy. We will continue to fight until we win,” he says.

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