Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday night as they protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new extreme far-right government that many say threatens democracy and freedoms in the country.
Protesters brandished signs with slogans including "Democracy in danger," "Together against fascism and apartheid" and "Biblical Disaster" in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
The protest was led by left-wing and Arab members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset. They contend that proposed plans by the new Cabinet will hinder the judicial system and widen societal gaps.
Some waved Israeli and rainbow flags while others held a large banner reading "crime minister" – a slogan widely used by Israelis during regular demonstrations against Netanyahu in past years.
Following his Nov. 1 election win, Netanyahu took office late last month at the head of a coalition with extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, some of whose officials now head key ministries.
It includes a politician who late last year admitted tax evasion and a clutch of far-right personalities, including one who once kept a portrait in his home of a man who massacred scores of Palestinian worshippers.
Netanyahu, 73, who himself is fighting corruption charges in court, had already served as premier longer than anyone in Israeli history, leading the country from 1996-1999 and 2009-2021.
"My grandparents came to Israel to build here something amazing ... We don't want to feel that our democracy is disappearing, that the Supreme Court will be destroyed," said a lawyer among the protesters who gave his name only as Assaf.
"Extremists are starting to deploy their forces and it's not the majority," said protester Omer, a worker in Tel Aviv's tech sector.
The new government has announced intentions to pursue a policy of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and carry out social reforms that have worried members and supporters of the gender minority communities.
"We are really afraid that our country is going to lose the democracy and we are going to a dictatorship just for reasons of one person which wants to get rid of his law trial," said Danny Simon, 77, a protester from Yavne, south of Tel Aviv.
Protesters also called for peace and co-existence between Jews and Arab residents of the country.
Israel's new justice minister this week announced a reform program including a "derogation clause" allowing parliament to override decisions of the Supreme Court.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the reforms, saying on Twitter that it "endangers the entire legal system of the State of Israel."
"We can see right now many laws being advocated for against LGBTQ, against Palestinians, against larger minorities in Israel," said Rula Daood of "Standing Together," a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews.
"We are here to say loud and clear that all of us, Arabs and Jews and different various communities inside of Israel, demand peace, equality and justice."