Israeli protests continue for the sixteenth week in a row

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Agencies
22 Apr 2023 23:05

Approximately 380,000 settlers partook this evening in the demonstrations.

Israelis protest against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to overhaul the judicial system in "Tel Aviv", Saturday, April 22, 2023 (AP)

Thousands of settlers have reportedly taken to the streets to continue protesting Netanyahu's judicial overhaul.

"Thousands of people have arrived to Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv," the Israeli Channel 12 has reported, noting that former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin will have an upcoming speech.

Approximately 380,000 settlers partook this evening in the demonstrations that took place in the settlements and occupied cities and settlements of "Tel Aviv", Haifa, Beer al Sabe, Al-Quds, "Netanya, Ashdod, Herzliya, Rosh Ha'ayin, Beit Shemesh, Kfar Saba, and Bat Yam," according to Israeli media.

Ever since January, upheaval and chaos took the Israeli occupation by storm. With the Israeli opposition parties and loose affiliates protesting against Netanyahu's judicial reform initiative. Protests have persisted even after Netanyahu's decision to postpone planned reform

Today, Former Chief of General Staff of the Israeli occupation forces Gadi Eizenkot said the security situation in "Israel" today is the most dangerous since the end of the "Yom Kippur War", i.e., the October Liberation War 1973.

Eizenkot told the Israeli Channel 12 broadcaster that a precedent took place in the Israeli occupation; something that has not happened since the so-called declaration of the Israeli occupation, with the Intelligence Division issuing a strategic warning stating that "Israeli deterrence in the area has been damaged."

This comes after Israeli security minister Yoav Gallant warned of a strategic change in the type of external threats facing the occupation that would change from single-front limited conflicts and would rather be on multi-front large-scale escalations, according to a report by The Times of Israel.

In a survey conducted by Start-Up Nation Central on a sample of 1,142 entrepreneurs, international companies, and investment funds on March 22-23, around 80% of participants believe that the judicial reform will negatively impact "them and their portfolio companies."

According to the survey:

84% of investors believe that the judicial reform will stifle the influx of foreign capital
Similarly, 77% of enterprises think it will be difficult to attract capital from foreign investors
Around 80% of companies said that investors canceled plans with them after the judicial reform bill was proposed.

The findings of the survey suggest that high-tech companies especially have started to increasingly offshore their funds from “Israel”. Hightech companies hold special significance to the Israeli market: Such that one in ten Israelis in the occupation workforce is employed in Hightech.

The judicial overhaul risks a massive outflow of funds from “Israel”, the survey concluded.