The Democrats party chairman Yair Golan announced Tuesday that several leaders of the anti-government protest movement of the past few years were joining the left-wing party, calling on all protest leaders and their supporters to follow suit.

Golan was joined by anti-government protesters and tech entrepreneurs Moshe Radman and Ami Dror, key figures in the widespread movement that saw enormous success bringing hundreds of thousands of Israelis into the streets to demonstrate against the government’s contentious judicial overhaul starting in 2023.

“Tonight, the most natural and necessary transition in the past three years is happening,” Golan said, adding that the protest movement is “a part of us, a part of our backbone.”

“The Democrats is the home for everyone who took to the streets, for anyone concerned about the fate of the country,” he said, speaking at a press conference at the party’s headquarters, hailing the protest movement that also became a key part of the campaign for a hostage deal following the October 7, 2023, attack.

“Today, we are opening the doors of the party to new members. We have open primaries for everyone, with many excellent candidates,” Golan said, indicating the new additions would compete for spots on the party’s Knesset slate ahead of elections currently scheduled for October.

The party, an amalgamation of the Labor and Meretz parties, has yet to announce a date for the primary.

“I call on protest leaders and other civil society leaders: come. We need a strong Democrats in the next government for the future of the State of Israel,” he added.

Radman said that while the protests remain “a badge........

© The Times of Israel