Anti-judicial reform protests continued on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, despite two deadly terrorist attacks on Friday and amid heightened tensions in Israel’s north following rocket attacks on the Golan Heights.
At the Israel Police’s request, however, protesters did cancel a planned march set to take place after the demonstrations.
“The demonstration will take place in a special format, while participating in the grief of the families and supporting the security forces and residents in the conflict areas,” organizers said in a statement.
“We will continue the fight against the dictatorship as if there is no war on terror and we will continue to enlist in the reserves and support the IDF and the security forces as if there is no war against the dictatorship,” they added.
IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Tal Russo, a former Labor MK and one of the leaders of the demonstration, had called for a halt to the protests given the security situation. However, other demonstration organizers overruled him, with at least one protest leader attacking him on Twitter for his call to pause the protests.
On Friday, two Israeli sisters were killed and their mother was critically wounded in a shooting in the Jordan Valley. Hours later, on Friday night, an Italian tourist was killed and seven other foreigners were wounded in a vehicular assault in central Tel Aviv.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the mobilization of all Border Police reserve troops, and instructed the military to call up additional reservists as well.
