Thousands of people attended an anti-government rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, exceeding a 1,000-person court-ordered limit, though police did not intervene as they have in previous weeks, when they cited security restrictions due to the war in Iran.

It was the sixth consecutive week of protests by various left-wing groups opposed to the Iran war and other protest organizations railing against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s alleged corruption and his government’s bid to overhaul the judiciary and exempt ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service.

Alon Lee Green, one of the main organizers of the rally, claimed 10,000 people were at the protest in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square.

The Haaretz and Ynet outlets both put the figure at 2,000, still twice the number set in a Supreme Court ruling on Friday.

The limits were due to missile fire at Israel from Iran during the previous six weeks. After a shaky ceasefire began last week, the court increased the number of permitted participants, but left a cap in place as a precaution.

About a dozen Border Police vans were parked near the square’s southern end, and police also took over a small mound overlooking the protest.

Haaretz reported that right-wing provocateur Mordechai David led dozens of activists who attempted to enter the square but were blocked by the protest organizers.

Border police escorted Ben David from the square, but he was able to gain access from another point.

He was eventually detained along with another right-wing activist, both of whom were released about an hour later, Haaretz........

© The Times of Israel