Hundreds of joined another round of anti-government protests in Jerusalem on Sunday amid an upsurge of violence in the Palestine-Israel conflict.
Protesters marched in support of the opposition and against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government’s judicial reform, among other policies.
Speaking during an interview, a protester commented on the recent upsurge of violence in the conflict between Palestine and Israel, saying “We will not see an end to this cycle of violence, to this ongoing violence until there’s actual equality, actual justice. There won’t be a change. There may be a quieter time, and more violent times but it will be ongoing until apartheid ends and until occupation ends. Period”, he stated.
The comments came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a ‘strong, swift response’ to a deadly attack by a Palestinian in East Jerusalem that killed seven people on Friday. In turn, dozens of Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces in clashes across the West Bank this year.
Israel has seen political unrest for three weeks, following Netanyahu’s return to power and Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s announcement of new judiciary legislation, with will endow lawmakers with greater power over the Supreme Court.
Protesters claim the reforms announced will threaten the independence of the country’s top judges, undermining the rights of Palestinians and other minorities.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has defended the move, saying it will restore the balance between the legislative, executive and judiciary.