Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid refused on Thursday to sign a joint statement with Israeli Minister of Transportation, National Infrastructure and Road Safety Miri Regev calling for a halt to anti-judicial reform protests on Yom Ha’aztmaut, Israel’s Independence Day.
“We will not pretend that we are celebrating together and that everything is fine while the government is tearing apart the people of Israel and erasing democracy,” said Lapid in a statement.
Gantz reportedly signed the agreement; however, Regev, a member of the ruling Likud Party, refused to sign unless the deal was extended to Independence Day as well.
Israel again braced for major disruptions across the country on Thursday as thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in opposition to the government’s judicial reform push.
With more than 150 demonstrations scheduled, the “Day of Paralysis” began in the morning with a protest at the Airport City business park adjacent to the eastern entrance to Ben-Gurion International Airport. The protesters were blocking the roads ahead of a conference featuring the participation of Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter and Economy Minister Nir Barkat. Israeli media reported that the protesters broke into the conference complex, shouting “shame.”
A reporter from conservative Israeli news station Channel 14 was harassed by protesters at the Airport City complex and was unable to finish her live report.
Protest leader Shikma Bressler was arrested during a demonstration outside of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems in Haifa, Israeli media reported. She was briefly detained at the police station in Kiryat Haim and released. Bressler was reportedly arrested for encouraging protesters to block the road, and her release was conditioned upon her not returning to the demonstration site for the next five days.
Protesters from Tel Aviv were expected to march into Bnei Brak, the largest charedi city in Israel, at 7 p.m. local time. Police were deployed to the city in the afternoon amid fears of clashes between secular and religious Israelis. Several streets in Bnei Brak were expected to be closed ahead of the march. JNS
The party of hate! He’s such a despicable leftist. My way or the highway!
The govt cannot tiptoe around a guy like this. They have to keep hitting him in his teeth politically. Learn from the left’s playbook
Yair Laphead should be charged with treason
Wow! What a classic example of gaslighting! Lapid accuses the government of “tearing apart the people of Israel and erasing democracy” ,when it is actually him and his Ashkenazi Secular Socialist/leftist Elites who are doing so. JUDICIAL REFORM NOW!
The left is the party of civility.