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Ilsa's husband, Victor
17:40If there was a law saying you could not protest in favor of the coup unless you had a job and had served, there would not have been more than 20 people at this joke of a protest.
'Don't Want Compromise': Tens of Thousands of Pro-gov't Protesters Rally in Jerusalem
Crowds of pro-judicial overhaul Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem on Thursday with senior figures in Netanyahu's government delivering keynote speeches promising 'legal reform' amid legislation's freeze, talks
An aerial view shows right-wing demonstrators at a protest calling on the Israeli government to complete its planned judicial overhaul, in front of the KnessetCredit: ILAN ROSENBERG/ REUTERS
Tens of thousands of Israeli pro-government protesters gathered on Jerusalem's Kaplan Street on Thursday evening to rally in support of the Netanyahu-led government's judicial overhaul.
Protesters chanted [we] "don't want compromise," in reference to the ongoing compromise talks between the coalition and opposition, and "Fire [Attorney General Gali Baharav] Miara!" as prominent coalition figures took to the stage.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told crowds "We will not give up on a Jewish state. We will not give up on Israeli democracy and no one will steal the term from us." He added, "The people demand legal reform and they will get legal reform."
"They [anti-overhaul protest movement] have the media, the tycoons who fund demonstrations. We have the people, who demand that we fix what needs to be fixed," he said.
Pro-overhaul demonstrators in JerusalemCredit: Olivier Fitoussi
Judicial overhaul architect Yariv Levin invoked the ongoing talks between the coalition and opposition saying, "For over a month they [opposition] say no to every offer.
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"Consensus means substantive negotiation," he said. "We are told that if the reform passes, there will be a dictatorship here," he continued. "Show me one democracy where legal advisors make decisions instead of the government."
Pro-overhaul demonstrators in JerusalemCredit: Olivier Fitoussi
Fellow overhaul leader MK Simcha Rothman said, "There are those who shout 'democracy.' They forget what democracy is. Open discussion in committees and in plenary is democracy, jumping on tables is not democracy.
"A government that enjoys the trust of the Knesset is a democracy, but a legal advisor who decides everything is not a democracy," Rothman said. "A small and noisy group that controls power centers is not democracy."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged the protesters on Twitter, writing in English, "I thank the hundreds of thousands of Israeli who came to Jerusalem tonight to support our government. Your passion and patriotism moves me deeply."
To chants of "here comes the next prime minister," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said his national guard, which he said has been deemed a "militia" by the anti-coup camp, "will fight the crime families and will protect our children."
Additionally, the pro-democracy protest movement "violated the sanctity of Memorial Day," he said to chants of "Shame!" adding, he "will never forgive opposition leader Yair Lapid for "his attempts to violate Memorial Day."
Lapid said Thursday in reaction to the pro-overhaul protest, "Deep shame and deep sadness. This is what every Israeli who is part of the sane majority felt when he saw the protesters stepping on pictures of High Court judges.
"The inflammatory speeches of the ministers and MKs only continue to tear the people apart and dismantle Israeli society," he said. "Where does this government want to lead us? What else will they do to the State of Israel and the people of Israel before they stop?"
Israel's pro-democracy and anti-overhaul protest movement said in response to the demonstration that "from this evening, the mask is off, and Israel is on the brink of dictatorship," pledging to protest in Tel Aviv and in "over 150 locations across the country" on Saturday night It will mark 17 straight weeks of protest.
According to the leaders, since coalition heads declared their intentions to pass the "dictatorship laws," they will continue to protest.
"Only one vote separates Israel from a dangerous messianic dictatorship," the protest movement added, saying that the talks at the President's Residence have proven a "scam."
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Ilsa Laszlo
12:42 28.04.2023
In the words of Marie Antoinette, let them eat cake.
They needed their five minutes. Now they have had it. Next please.
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Bz
03:59 28.04.2023
The Times of Israel and other news outlets report 200,000 demonstrators in Jerusalem today in favor of judicial overhaul.
Haaretz reports “tens of thousands” of demonstrators.
This newspaper’s credibility is rapidly diminishing.
Herschel
07:25 28.04.2023BzIt us true the Times of Israel doesn’t have much of a reputation. There were no more than 50,000 there on even the most generous possible assessment.
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Lorraine
02:56 28.04.2023The self-righteous cry of the pro-government protesters is that they are "THE PEOPLE" as opposed to the government's opponents who they view as some sort of toxic and extraneous elite. But this "elite" is comprised of people, too. Everyone is part of The People (and in the case of the pro-Democracy opponents of the government, these are the people who largely run much of what makes the country work at all, in various domains). This fictive concoction of "purity"--THE PEOPLE--is all that can be mustered as some sort of justification for refusing to acknowledge what is the point of all the government opposition: Israel has no constitution--and that is what makes judicial activism necessary to ensure the balance of power. The pro-government complaint: "Show me one democracy where legal advisors make decisions instead of the government" completely ignores that fact.
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Davidovitch
00:28 28.04.2023Sad to see thousands of people going out against democracy in Jerusalem. When you acclaim Smotrich and Ben Gvir who was sentenced for his support of terrorism, you acclaim fascism. There must be no compromise, I think, with such fascists. Is a half-democracy a good thing ? Is a half-dictatorship a reason for being joyful ?