Thousands protest in Tel Aviv against overhaul; police out in force; no major trouble
Heavy police presence but no violence as demonstrators rally against coalition; in first, police park trucks across Kaplan Street to prevent cars from coming close to protesters
Thousands of protesters streamed into Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street on Thursday evening for a mass demonstration against the government’s contentious judicial overhaul, the first part of which was passed this week, with the coalition approving the reasonableness bill into law on Monday.
The protests came amid rising fears of an escalation in violence at the demonstrations, after protests erupted Monday following the passage of the divisive law, which limits judicial review of governmental and ministerial decisions. The demonstrations were met with an unprecedented show of force by cops, sparking accusations of police brutality and excessive use of force.
But the protest ended late Thursday without major incident, though police were out in force.
During major gatherings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Monday and early Tuesday morning, demonstrators blocked freeways and thoroughfares for hours, as roads were cleared using mounted police and water cannons. More than 30 protesters were reportedly wounded in the clashes, and police said that 14 officers were hurt. Around 40 people were arrested nationwide.
In Jerusalem, police used officers on horseback and powerful blasts of skunk water to drive off protesters who rallied first outside the Knesset and later blocked the Begin freeway and demonstrated near the Supreme Court building.
On Thursday, for the first time since mass protests began in January, trucks were parked across Kaplan Street to block the road, apparently to prevent vehicles from coming close to the protesters.
A driver had plowed through a protest group on Monday, causing injuries. Police arrested the driver for questioning.
Israel Police chief Kobi Shabtai held a meeting Thursday morning to prepare for the protests, reiterating police vows to allow and protect demonstrations that do not block roads, cause violence or harm public order. “The Israel Police is apolitical and works for the entire public while maintaining its values,” Shabtai said in a statement, adding that the police force is “continuously examining and reviewing its activities and the activities of its officers and commanders while learning lessons for improvement.”
On Thursday, there was a heavy police presence along the shoulders of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, with the aim of preventing protesters from accessing the road from the embankments and blocking traffic.
As protesters arrived from a march from Rothschild Boulevard to the rally at Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, someone fired two pink flares into the air and the crowd cheered before breaking into the familiar chants supporting democracy.
As traffic flowed freely along the road, there was also a constant din as motorists honked encouragement to the demonstrators waving flags from the bridge above.
Ido, 47, from neighboring Givatayim, waved his flag from the bridge and said that he believes the protests are having an impact.
“If I didn’t think this was going to make a difference, I wouldn’t be here,” he said. He was at Kaplan on Monday night for the demonstration which ended in clashes between police.
“I feel like on Monday [the protesters] were a lot younger. Lots of them came from [the protest at the Knesset in] Jerusalem earlier that day in their masses,” he said.
“It felt like there was an awakening,” he added.
The protest wound down around midnight Thursday and all roads were re-opened.
Rather than deploying water cannons or mounted officers as they did on Monday and Tuesday, police cars and motorbikes began to drive around the area, asking protesters to move to the sidewalks.
Police then simply opened sections of the road to traffic as the demonstrators drifted away.
Monday’s vote saw lawmakers approve a measure that prevents judges from striking down government decisions on the basis they are “unreasonable.” The government’s critics say removing the standard of reasonability opens the door to corruption and improper appointments of unqualified cronies to important positions.
Many members of the coalition have called on the government to push ahead with the rest of its judicial overhaul plans, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will seek to reach a broad consensus on the other elements of the proposal.
Also Thursday, in New York City, several hundred protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate to demonstrate against the judicial overhaul. The crowd chanted “democracy” and “shame” in Hebrew and waved Israeli flags in the sweltering heat in Midtown Manhattan.
The rally was organized by the Israeli expat activist group UnXeptable, with the backing of a number of New York-based Jewish organizations.
UnXeptable has held regular protests against the judicial overhaul in New York over the past six months, but American Jewish groups have rarely been formally involved. Leading Jewish elected officials in New York, including city comptroller Brad Lander and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, have joined the events in the past.
The rallies in New York and other cities abroad are meant to both support the protest movement in Israel and express opposition to the government’s judicial plans. UnXeptable works closely with protest leaders based in Israel.
Thursday’s demonstration included services for the Tisha B’Av fast day, which commemorates the destruction of the Biblical temples in Jerusalem, amid infighting among Jews at the time. Speakers at the event tied the Jewish day of mourning to the schisms in Israeli society today.
“We must not allow ourselves to be divided,” Rabbi Joanna Samuels, the CEO of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, told the Israelis and Americans in the crowd. “It is us that will ensure the future of Israel as a democratic state. The stakes are very, very, very high.”
The Times of Israel Community.