Live Update arrow right icon From the Liveblog of Thursday, April 27, 2023

Pro-government crowd swells as right rallies for judicial reform

By Lazar Berman 27 April 2023, 8:20 pm
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Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Right-wing Israelis attend a rally in support of the government's planned judicial overhaul, outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, on April 27, 2023. (Flash90)
Right-wing Israelis attend a rally in support of the government's planned judicial overhaul, outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, on April 27, 2023. (Flash90)

From atop the Cinema City mall near the government quarter in central Jerusalem, one can see the crowd of right-wing protesters extending in all four directions as far as the eye can see. Massive screens are dispersed throughout the crowd.

According to reports, much of the rally was funded by the Likud and Religious Zionism parties.

Estimates now put the number of attendees at 80,000 or more. Channel 13 guesses 92,000. The right-wing Channel 14 puts the number at 200,000.

A Channel 12 anchor says the turnout “is the largest we’ve ever seen,” though it’s unclear if that also includes anti-government rallies, which have drawn hundreds of thousands.

Energy rises as the crowd lights their cellphone flashlights to welcome Justice Minister Yariv Levin. The masses chant, “The nation demands judicial reform,” drowning out the speakers.

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