Eighteenth Week of Protests in Israel: Tens of Thousands Gather in Tel Aviv

On Saturday, for the eighteenth consecutive week, the city of Tel Aviv witnessed the presence of opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Israel's Channel 12, around 150,000 people participated in Saturday's demonstration, while Channel 13 reported the number to be over 200,000. These protesters have been gathering weekly in Tel Aviv and other cities for weeks against Netanyahu's government bills for judicial reforms. In a photo published by Reuters from the Saturday night gathering, thousands were carrying a large banner above a picture of Netanyahu that read, 'We will never let you become a dictator.' Following the protests, on April 7, Netanyahu halted the judicial reform bill, but protesters continue to oppose the government's efforts to control the country's Supreme Court. Netanyahu's right-wing government argues that these proposals are necessary to rebalance power between the judiciary and the executive, while opponents claim that the bill poses a threat to democracy. According to a poll released on Friday by Israel's state television, despite only five months having passed since the far-right coalition government took office, 74% of Israelis assess the government's performance as poor. The eleventh week of protests in Israel; Netanyahu rejected the proposal for negotiations. Israeli protests against the judicial review plan; Netanyahu: Opponents seek chaos. Protesters gathered outside the hair salon of the Prime Minister's wife; police escorted Sara Netanyahu home. The President of Israel states that Netanyahu's judicial reform bill is a mistake. Joe Biden and Netanyahu discussed the protests in Israel in a half-hour phone call.