WEST BANK (Dispatches) – Thousands of protesters have staged a demonstration in the port city of Haifa in the Israeli-occupied territories against the regime’s incoming right-wing administration led by prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The protesters and left-wing activists blocked roads near the center of Horev, marched with burning torches, and chanted against the initiatives of Likud political party and its partners.
The main focus of the demonstration was a series of controversial bills that would give the right-wing coalition more power over the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, and police policies.
In addition to the bills, there is a law that would allow for the chairman of the Shas religious political party, Arye Deri, to assume a ministerial position despite a past conviction for tax offenses.
The protesters called on everyone to “demonstrate against the dangerous legislations being promoted by the incoming criminal administration.”
The protest was attended by former war minister Moshe Ya’alon, former army spokesman Brigadier-General Ron Kitri, and several formerly top-brass military commanders.
The participants said the demonstration was in continuation of the rally staged a week earlier at Habima Square in Tel Aviv.
That demonstration had been attended by thousands of protesters.
It mainly targeted the incoming right-wing coalition administration, and their legislative blitz to pass a slew of controversial laws.
Netanyahu, as the Likud chairman, is currently engaged with assembling a coalition that will see far-right figures Itamar Ben-Gvir of the Jewish Power party and Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party likely exert more power over occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank, and with the police.
As part of deals struck to form the regime’s new coalition last week, far-right parties and Likud have agreed to enforce a “Judaization” plan in the Galilee and Naqab (Negev) regions, which have a significant population of indigenous Palestinian citizens.
The Religious Zionism alliance, led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, has previously said it intended to strengthen settlement in the two regions located in northern and southern parts of the occupied territories, respectively.
This will likely be done through offering economic benefits and discounts to Zionists to encourage them to move to those areas, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The Religious Zionism party headed by Smotrich, who is set to become the finance minister, will have a seat on the council of the so-called Israel Land Authority (ILA) which is in charge of allocating state lands for residential and other uses.
Palestinians who live in the Naqab region have long accused the Zionist regime of attempting to uproot them through various tactics.