An estimated 2,500 Israelis congregated at the central Rabin Square in Tel Aviv to protest the country’s newly-established national emergency government.
While wearing face masks and observing a two-meter distance from one another due to the coronavirus outbreak, the demonstrators rallied under the banner of “Save the Democracy.”
Those gathered called on Blue and White leader and Knesset Speaker Benny Gantz not to join in a coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is faced with legal indictment in three separate cases of corruption involving charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.
“I came to demonstrate for the democracy, for a rule that is not by someone who is accused, who has issues with the law,” protester Alik Cheshil said while speaking to Reuters. “The person who has issues with the law cannot rule a government, and cannot appoint judges and cannot appoint ministers – there is conflict of interest here that is built-in in the system,” he stressed.
Anti-government demonstrator Boaz Ben-Chaim said he believed “this government is totally corrupted,” even though it includes centrist-or-leftist candidates whom he had formerly supported. “They join Netanyahu to support him in making rules about not letting the democracy happen,” Ben-Chaim. He added that he was ”100% sure” that Netanyahu is planning to ensure his continued premiership with revised legislation to prevent his prosecution.