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25-03-2023
JERUSALEM/ LONDON: The beachside highway beside the British embassy in Tel Aviv descended into a scene of bitter division between Israelis a week ago, and blood was spilled on the tarmac.
The crowd started to block traffic, by now a frequent tactic of protesters when a driver attacked one of the demonstrators.
They respond by subduing the driver, beating him back with an Israeli flag pole.
It was week 11 of mass anti-government protests, ahead of a trip to the UK today by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Look at what (the driver) did… he hit me with the (oil) can,” protester Shay Noter, who suffered a broken nose and bloodied face, told media.
“We have a dictator in Israel that is trying to make his people hate us. You tell your government, you tell your people. He is telling them all the time that we are the enemy.”
Part of the demonstrations have been focused on embassies and the main airport, as Netanyahu has paid a series of visits to European capitals amid growing political turmoil at home.
Protesters were on the streets again this Thursday, rallying against plans by his coalition of far-right and ultra-religious parties to limit the powers of Israel’s courts.
Critics believe this will muzzle legal protections and open the door to an authoritarian, demagogic state. Netanyahu says the changes will “rebalance” the branches of government.
The proposals would give ministers near full control over the committee which appoints judges and would ultimately strip the Supreme Court of crucial powers to strike down legislation.
“Our democracy is literally under attack by the government,” said demonstrator Avinoam Brog.
“My parents’ generation was part of the foundation of the country. Our generation was to protect it… Unfortunately, it’s changed from protecting it against external enemies to an internal threat by our own government,” he told media. (Int’l News Desk)
