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24-07-2023
TEL AVIV: Tens of thousands of Israelis have marched into Jerusalem and more protesters took to the streets in Tel Aviv in a last-ditch show of force aimed at blocking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul plan.
Protests have intensified in the days leading up to the debate that began Sunday ahead of a parliamentary vote on Monday which could see a key part of the proposals passed into law.
The bill would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to void what it considers “unreasonable” government or ministerial decisions. Critics view the legislation as a threat to Israel’s democracy.
In Jerusalem on Saturday, marchers turned the city’s main entrance into a sea of blue and white Israeli flags as they completed the last leg of a four-day, 70km (43 miles) trek from Tel Aviv to Israel’s parliament.
The group, which grew from hundreds to thousands as the march progressed, were welcomed by throngs of cheering protesters before they set up camp in rows of small white tents outside the Knesset before the expected vote.
“Democracy is not as certain as it used to be,” said Ido Golan, a protester from central Israel who joined with his partner and two young children, one on his back in a baby carrier.
“It’s very important for us and also for them to know we did what we can to save the democracy.”
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands flooded the streets of the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Saturday, the country’s business and cultural capital, as well as in Beersheba, Haifa and Netanya.
Early on Sunday, hundreds of protesters prayed at the Western Wall in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, the holiest place where Jews can pray.
Carrying Israeli flags, many also formed a human chain at different locations in Jerusalem, including in front of Jaffa Gate in the Old City. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
