Israelis protest en masse against government, minute of silence for attack deaths

EPA

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 22:08

Tens of thousands of Israelis have demonstrated for the fourth Saturday in a row against Netanyahu’s new radical right-wing government. In Tel Aviv, according to the police, 40,000 people were on the move, but there were also anti-government protests in Haifa, Beersheva and other cities.

In Tel Aviv, protesters held a minute’s silence for the victims of yesterday’s terror attack at a synagogue in East Jerusalem. Candles were also lit for them. A Palestinian man killed seven people in the synagogue attack. This morning there was another attack in that part of the city. A father and son were injured in the incident. Possibly as a result of the attacks, far fewer people demonstrated tonight than at previous demonstrations. A week ago, the protests still mobilized 100,000 people.

Netanyahu’s security cabinet will meet tonight to discuss the response to the attacks. The prime minister said in advance that extra soldiers will be deployed and that the homes of terror suspects will be destroyed. The cabinet is also discussing the granting of weapons permits to Israeli citizens.

Concerns about rule of law

As in previous weeks, the protests were mainly directed against the new government’s intention to weaken the power of the judiciary in favor of politics. For example, the Minister of Justice wants parliament to be able to push through a law if it has been found to be contrary to the constitution by the Supreme Court.

In the view of the minister, the highest court interferes too much with political matters. The demonstrators warn of the end of the rule of law.

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