Protest against Legal Reform Enters 27th Week in Israel
Tel Aviv, Israel – The ongoing protest against the legal reform in Israel is set to continue today for the 27th consecutive week, with demonstrations scheduled across the country. The main demonstration will take place at Kaplan in Tel Aviv and will feature a lineup of prominent speakers, including Prof. Yuval Noah Harari, Prof. Hagi Levin, Prof. Shakma Bresler, leaders of the ‘White Coats’ protest Sharon Arda and Michal Tzur, representatives of the high-tech protest, and representatives of the student protest Bar Pekula, Sara Yitzhaki, Nadav Salzberger, Lihi Caspi, and Or Pilak.
Preceding the main demonstration, a weekly march will start at 19:00 local time in Bhima Square. Then, at 20:30, the main demonstration at Kaplan will commence. In preparation for the event, various streets and roads in Tel Aviv will be closed to vehicular traffic from 5:30 p.m. today.
The organizers have listed the following streets that will be blocked: Kaplan from Ibn Gvirol to Menachem Begin in both directions, the Kaplan-Menachem Begin intersection to the north and south, the Gesher HaShalom Bridge ramps to the north and south, the Yigal Alon-HaShalom intersection to the west and south, the Yigal Alon intersection – Made in Israel, the Yigal Alon intersection – Tovel to the north, the peace intersection – Made in Israel, the peace intersection – Youth Aliyah to the east, and the Yitzhak Sde – Hasamgar intersection to the north. Additionally, it will not be possible to exit from Ben Avigdor Street to Hamsgar Street, and certain streets including Kermanitzki, Toval, Vicky Sheeran, and the exit from the gas station will be blocked in the direction of Aminadav. At 20:30, the Gesher Yehudit pedestrian crossing will also be blocked.
The leaders of the protest voiced their concerns over the proposed probable cause law, stating, “If it is approved in the first reading, the Israeli government will take a huge step in the regime revolution to eliminate democracy.” They further announced that if the law is approved, a massive protest will be staged on Tuesday to defend democracy with an unprecedented strength.
Earlier this week, thousands of protesters blocked the Ayalon routes for four hours after Tel Aviv District Commander Superintendent Ami Ashad announced his retirement from the police force. Eventually, police forces successfully evacuated the protesters, and workers cleared the roadblocks to ensure the safe passage of vehicles.
The protest against the legal reform in Israel continues to gain momentum as citizens voice their concerns about the potential erosion of democracy. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the ongoing demonstrations and the looming approval of the probable cause law.