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Gallery|Protests

Protests continue in Israel against proposed judicial changes

Anti-proposal activists demonstrated nationwide all day, including at a mass protest at Ben Gurion International Airport.

Demonstrators rally with US and Israeli flags
Demonstrators rally with US and Israeli flags outside the US diplomatic offices in Tel Aviv. [Menahem Kahana/AFP]
Published On 12 Jul 202312 Jul 2023
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Thousands of Israeli protesters took to the streets on Tuesday, blocking major highways and thronging the country’s main international airport, in countrywide demonstrations against the government’s contentious plan to change the country’s judicial system.

The demonstrations came the morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s parliamentary coalition’s proposed bill to limit the Supreme Court’s oversight powers gained initial approval.

Police used a water cannon to clear protesters in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and arrested several protesters who obstructed a highway near the central city of Modiin.

Activists demonstrated nationwide throughout the day, including at a mass afternoon protest at Ben Gurion International Airport. An estimated 10,000 people gathered outside the main terminal, blowing horns and waving Israeli flags. Police held the crowd back.

Police reported 71 arrests nationwide for alleged public disorder. Protesters scuffled with police in various locations, with at least one protester hurt by a police horse, but no major violence was reported.

Netanyahu’s ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox allies have proposed a series of bills that provoked months of sustained protests by opponents who say the country is being pushed towards authoritarian rule.

Weekly mass protests have taken place since the far-right government presented its plan in January, days after taking office. The protests led Netanyahu to suspend the proposal in March, but he decided to revive it last month after compromise talks with the opposition collapsed.

The parliamentary vote on Tuesday night renewed the protests’ momentum. The bill still needs to pass two more votes, expected by the end of the month, before it becomes law.

Late on Tuesday, tens of thousands gathered in central Tel Aviv – the site of weekly protests against the proposal for more than six months – and made their way to the city’s main highway, which they briefly blocked.

Earlier, a crowd gathered outside United States diplomatic offices in Tel Aviv, calling on the White House to put pressure on Netanyahu to halt the bill. A smaller protest also took place outside Netanyahu’s home in central Jerusalem.

Critics of the proposed bill say it will upset the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies. They also say Netanyahu has a conflict of interest because he is on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.

Demonstrators shove with Israeli border guards
Demonstrators scuffle with Israeli border guards during the protests at Ben Gurion airport near Lydd. [Jack Guez/AFP]
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A demonstrator holds up a sign showing the face of Israel's Prime Minister
Weekly mass protests have taken place since Netanyahu's far-right government presented the plan in January, days after taking office. [Menahem Kahana/AFP]
Israeli police detain a demonstrator
Israeli police detain a demonstrator in Tel Aviv. [Oded Balilty/AP Photo]
Israeli police officers disperse demonstrators
Police reported 71 arrests nationwide for alleged public disorder. [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo]
Demonstrators wave flags as they are sprayed with water by Israel's police
Police use water cannon to clear protesters in Tel Aviv. [Jack Guez/AFP]
Demonstrators march with Israeli flags
Demonstrators march with Israeli flags in Tel Aviv. Critics of the judicial plan say it will upset the country’s fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies. [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]
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Israelis protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system
Protesters scuffled with police in various locations, with at least one protester hurt by a police horse, but no major violence was reported. [Mahmoud Illean/AP Photo]
A demonstrator holds a placard
A demonstrator holds a placard during the protest in Tel Aviv. [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]


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