One of the largest demonstrations against the government that Israel has seen in the past ten years took place today in Tel Aviv, where an estimated 110,000 people filled the city’s streets.
Banners were raised during the rallies calling for the end of the current government coalition, which is the most right-wing and religious-nationalist alliance in Israel’s history. The rallies stretched across the city center.
A teacher in the city of Jaffa, which is a western suburb on the seashore, named Yaara Ben Geraluf commented, “This is a hazardous regime.”
According to what she said to the BBC, “This government will not be any good for women, for LGBTQ people, for impoverished people… and of course for Palestinians.”
The organizers claim that they are working to prevent a “coup” that would overthrow the existing governmental structure.
For the second week in a row, there have been large demonstrations in four separate locations around the country.
Yair Lapid, the head of the opposition, addressed the throngs gathered in Tel Aviv and said that “those who love the nation” had come to preserve Israel’s democracy and its courts.
He said, “We won’t give up until we win” and meant it.
This comes three weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power with the goal of forming Israel’s first stable coalition in the past three years. He claimed that Israelis voted for both security and a “complete” right-wing government.
His alliance includes parties that are considered to be on the far right, including one that was previously found guilty of anti-Arab racism and another whose leader is openly homophobic and misogynistic.
In the midst of a conflict that has never been seen before between the new Israeli administration and Israel’s courts, demonstrators have accused Netanyahu of endangering democratic governance.
The anticipated amendments will give the coalition the ability to bypass the judicial system in the event that future laws are declared unconstitutional. Opponents argue that this poses a danger to the democratic checks and balances system that Israel relies on.
Some people believe that Mr. Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption, is trying to exert influence over the judges as a last ditch effort to keep himself from being sentenced to jail.
A significant number of the demonstrators are also vehemently opposed to the policies taken by a coalition that includes far-right groups that are openly racist, homophobic, and anti-Palestinian.
As soon as it assumed office, the administration stated that Jewish people have “exclusive” rights to “all parts” of the territory, which includes the territories that have been captured by Israel.
A Tel Aviv-based interior designer by the name of Tal Meidan displayed a poster that referred to Prime Minister Netanyahu and two of his ultra-nationalist friends as “the cats seeking to take the cream.”
While holding her newborn son, Michael, she gave an interview to the BBC and said, “I think what they are doing is morally and ethically wrong.”
“To get to this nation, my family and I made a lot of sacrifices, and I really hope that I won’t start crying. In addition, I have decided that it is not the right time for [my children] to join the military,” she stated.
“I have such high hopes that my four children will grow up in a different state… one in which homosexual people, like me and Arabs all have equal rights… Aside from that, we do not foresee ourselves having the opportunity to raise them here,” she said additionally.
The various protest movements do not work together.
Many people are focusing their opposition on what they believe to be an unprecedented attack on the judicial system, while others are focusing their opposition on what they believe to be an assault on secular life in Israel. Roughly half of the coalition is composed of religiously observant parties and the religious-nationalist far right.
During the demonstrations, those whose campaign is focused on opposing Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories appeared to be in the minority. However, they are not alone in this position. The BBC was present when a protester’s objection to other demonstrators hoisting Palestinian flags led to the outbreak of a minor altercation.
Mr. Netanyahu laughs off the demonstrations and accuses the protesters of trying to subvert the will of the voters.
“A massive demonstration, dubbed “the mother of all demonstrations,” took place roughly two months ago. In order to cast their ballots in the election, millions of people turned out into the streets,” he declared last week.
They had a vote on a number of important issues, one of which was the modification of the existing legal framework.
He said, “I feel obligated to point out that when we were a part of the opposition, we never advocated for a civil war, and we never advocated for the abolition of the state… It is my expectation that the leaders of the opposition will act in the same manner.”
The demonstrations have brought long-standing fault lines in Israeli society, such as those between secular and religiously observant citizens, as well as those between liberals and nationalists, back to the forefront.
In spite of the fact that the demonstrators have filled the streets in Tel Aviv, in Israel as a whole they have been pushed to the periphery throughout the course of the years. According to the results of recent opinion polls, Israelis have made a substantial shift to the right.
In the meantime, once-loyal supporters have departed Benjamin Netanyahu, which has caused him to grow more dependent on the most radical parts of Israel’s religious-nationalist bloc. As he faces charges of corruption, he is currently in what is likely the worst position he has ever held as prime minister.