Ahead of weekend rallies, Lapid and ex-defense officials warn against ‘regime change’

Ahead of the latest in a line of mass protests against the government’s plans for sweeping changes to the judiciary, opposition leader Yair Lapid said Friday he would not hold negotiations with the coalition, since the government was not seeking reform but “regime change.” The Yesh Atid party leader repeated his call for President Isaac Herzog to form an independent commission that would propose a framework for judicial reform, saying this would be a more trustworthy format.

Saturday night was to see the latest in a line of weekly protests against the scheme across the country amid inclement weather, with the largest rally once again planned for central Tel Aviv and other demonstrations planned in Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba and numerous other towns.

Speakers at the Tel Aviv demonstration were to include former police chief Roni Alsheich, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and Hila Peer, chairwoman of Aguda-The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel.

Speaking to Channel 12, Lapid said if the currently proposed overhaul is passed, “we won’t be a democracy anymore,” characterizing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a group of criminals here who are passing laws to save themselves from [legal] trouble.

“People are looking at this and wondering, where is the Declaration of Independence? Where are the values we grew up on? Our ability to live together under common laws? It’s dangerous, it’s dire and it’s taking us to very bad places. I’ve never been as worried as I am today,” he said. READ MORE