The demonstration took place despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspending his controversial reforms
Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrap a planned judicial overhaul. The embattled PM has already suspended the reforms and vowed to negotiate with the opposition, but protesters view his move as a ploy.
Israeli media outlets reported that between 140,000 and 175,000 people attended the rally, while protest organizers put the head count at 250,000 in Tel Aviv and 450,000 throughout Israel. The so-called ‘Umbrella Movement of Resistance against Dictatorship in Israel’ said in a statement that the protest was “one of the largest demonstrations in Israeli history.”
Groups of protesters blocked the normally busy Ayalon Highway twice over the course of the evening, The Times of Israel reported. Police used water cannons to clear the road.
קפלן הערב (20:00) pic.twitter.com/5jfa2rt2Sr
— אדם קוטב | adam kutub (@adam_kutub) April 1, 2023
המשטרה מנסה לפנות מוחים שירדו אל הכביש סמוך לגשר יהודית בסיוע מכת"זית ופרשים pic.twitter.com/Se6KZgcxGo
— אדם קוטב | adam kutub (@adam_kutub) April 1, 2023