Thousands of Israelis are protesting against Netanyahu
In Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis have demonstrated against, in their eyes potentially disadvantageous, coalition agreements that Benjamin Netanyahu will conclude.
They fear, among other things, that he wants to limit the power of the judiciary. According to the organizers of the march, there were tens of thousands of participants, the police said it was “less than 10,000”.
Netanyahu, who won the elections on April 9, has until Wednesday evening to form a new coalition. So far he has failed to meet the various opposing demands of his potential government partners, including the use of ultra-orthodox Jews in the army.
Although no agreement has yet been reached, there is currently strong speculation as to whether future coalition members will agree to measures that weaken the judiciary. The court wants to start a trial against Netanyahu. Public prosecutor Avichaï Mandelblit announced in February that he wants to sue him for corruption, fraud, and abuse of trust in three cases.
“Witch hunt”
Netanyahu has repeatedly denied the allegations, and dismisses them as a “witch hunt”. A hearing will take place at the beginning of October, after which “Bibi” will or will not be referred to the judge.
The protesters, many of the Blue and White opposition alliance, waved Israeli flags and chanted slogans as “one people, one law.” They warned Netanyahu that they will not allow “a democratic Israel to be transformed into a private dish for a royal family or sultanate.” “We came together here to fight for our country. Netanyahu is going to crush the Supreme Court to prevent the court from doing its job,” he said.
If Netanyahu succeeds in forming a government, he will be the first politician to start a fifth term as Israeli prime minister. If he does not succeed in getting a coalition in place by Wednesday, the president may entrust that assignment to someone else.
