“Come to Jerusalem!” Israel’s far-right finance minister is calling for counter-protests

Israel’s far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for counter-protests in the face of massive demonstrations in the country.

«Come to Jerusalem. (…) We are in the majority, let’s raise our voice. We will not let our vote and the state be stolen,” Smotrich said in a video posted on Twitter on Monday. Plans to restructure the judiciary must not be halted.

On Monday, there were massive protests across the country against the controversial project of the right-wing religious movement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fired Defense Minister Joav Galant the night before. He had called on the government to enter into dialogue with critics and warned that national security could be seriously compromised.

According to media reports, the head of government wanted to give a speech in parliament on Monday. He was expected to announce an end to the controversial plans of his right-wing religious government. However, the timing of the speech was delayed. The background would be a dispute within the coalition. Several ministers reportedly announced they would resign if Netanyahu freezes judicial reform or deviates from the planned course. (aeg/sda/dpa)