Tens of thousands protest on eve of Israel's Independence Day

Crowds of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the day before the regime’s so-called Independence (Occupation) Day, to protest instead of celebrating in the wake of the judicial crisis.

This year Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary in a fractious and uncertain mood, overshadowed by a battle over the judiciary that has opened some of the deepest social divisions since the foundation of the country in 1948.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested every week since the start of the year against plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's nationalist-religious government to push through curbs on the judiciary they see as an existential threat to the regime.