Demonstrations against judicial reform have continued in Israel despite Friday’s deadly attacks in Tel Aviv and the West Bank.
Organisers said the protests would continue in cooperation with the police. They also sent their condolences to the families of the victims of yesterday’s attacks in Tel Aviv and begin their demonstration with a minute’s silence in memory of the victims.
There have been three months of mass demonstrations against the reform promoted by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which seeks to grant more power to the executive branch to the detriment of the judiciary.
Although Netanyahu recently announced a postponement of the legislative process with the aim of pushing through a reform agreed with the opposition in the coming months, the demonstrators have expressed their mistrust of the prime minister’s real intentions and continue to protest week after week.
Ahead of Saturday’s demonstrations, the police announced the deployment of thousands of officers across the country in order to “maintain order and public safety”.
Three people died in two separate attacks on Friday.
The first took place on a road in the northern occupied West Bank, where, according to police, at least one Palestinian shot at a vehicle carrying three Israeli women, killing two of them and seriously wounding a third.
Shortly afterwards, an Arab citizen of Israel ran over a group of tourists on a Tel Aviv promenade. A 36-year-old Italian tourist died at the scene and seven other people were injured.
These incidents came shortly after a heavy exchange of fire between the Israeli army and Palestinian militias in the Gaza Strip and southern Lebanon, triggered by clashes early Wednesday between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers at the Al Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.