Large numbers demonstrate in Tel Aviv

Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in Tel Aviv on Saturday evening, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scrap a planned judicial overhaul. Israeli media outlets reported that between 140,000 and 175,000 people attended the rally, while protest organizers put the head count at 250,000 in Tel Aviv and 450,000 throughout Israel. The Umbrella Movement of Resistance against Dictatorship in Israel said the protest was “one of the largest demonstrations in Israeli history.” Groups of protesters blocked the normally busy Ayalon Highway twice over the course of the evening, and police used water cannons to clear the road. The Umbrella Movement views the suspension as an attempt by Netanyahu to buy time until public anger subsides. “Netanyahu’s attempt to put the protesters to sleep failed,” the organization said.