Israelis Protest to Block Netanyahu's Trip to Berlin

Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
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Israelis Protest to Block Netanyahu's Trip to Berlin

Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)
Demonstrators in disguise, including a mask of Netanyahu, during a protest against the draft law on judicial reform (AFP)

Protest leaders in Israel launched a "day of resistance to the dictatorship" against the judicial overhaul plan by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, announcing that Thursday would be an "extraordinary day."

The protesters decided to disrupt the trip of Netanyahu slated on Wednesday to Berlin, as they did on the eve of his visit to Rome.

The number of demonstrators in the weekly protests exceeded 300,000 on Saturday, and its leadership was led by five former top leaders of the Israeli police.

Recent reports stated that the government decided to continue legislating most of the laws included in its plan, and that Netanyahu wanted to stop and halt the process, but his allies did not approve.

In response, the protest leadership decided not to enter negotiations unless the legislation was halted and the laws approved so far were canceled.

However, sources close to Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had recently received several signs of a possible understanding.

The demonstrators protesting the government's plan had set a new record by demonstrating for the tenth week in about 130 locations.

Protest organizers said about half a million people participated in the protests nationwide, but the media put it at a quarter of a million people.

The opposition has surged from across society. For the first time, business leaders and legal officials have spoken out against what they say is a “ruinous” effect of Netanyahu’s plan.

On Saturday, five of the top inspectors of the police joined the protests and marched at the forefront of the major demonstration in Tel Aviv. They received a warm reception from the demonstrators.

The current police inspector, Yaakov Shabtai, held a press conference declaring that he made a mistake when he dismissed the Tel Aviv police chief at the request of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

"I made a mistake. I made an error of judgment; I was wrong in the timing and in the manner in which it was done. I do not take that lightly," Shabtai said, adding that he accepted the decision of the attorney general to freeze the appointment.

Shabtai also indicated he had considered resigning amid the uproar caused by the move but had decided not to walk away from the task and promised to protect the demonstrators and their right to protest.

Meanwhile, Attorney Eliad Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, one of the critical organizations protesting against the coalition's judicial overhaul program, announced that the protesters would not negotiate with the government and issued a list of firm conditions for entering into talks.

Shraga set ten strict conditions, including adopting a constitution based on "the spirit" of the Declaration of Independence and passing a bill of rights to ensure equality "in rights and obligations" as preconditions for a compromise solution.



Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
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Seoul: 'At Least 100 North Koreans Killed' Fighting for Russia

South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP
South Korea's spy agency has said there are signs Kim Jong Un is planning a fresh deployment of forces for fighting in Russia's war with Ukraine. STR / KCNA VIA KNS/AFP

At least 100 North Koreans deployed to support Russia's war effort in Ukraine have been killed since entering combat in December, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun told reporters Thursday.
Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops to reinforce the Russian military, including to the Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces seized territory earlier this year.
"In December, they (North Korean troops) engaged in actual combat, during which at least 100 fatalities occurred," Lee said, speaking after a briefing by South Korea's spy agency.
"The National Intelligence Service also reported that the number of injured is expected to reach nearly 1,000."
Despite those losses, the agency also said it had detected signs North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was preparing to train a new special operations force to ship westward, AFP reported.
Lee noted that the North's elite Storm Corps -- from which the initial deployment was drawn -- had "the capacity to send reinforcements".
The NIS also predicted "that Russia might offer reciprocal benefits" for a new deployment, Lee said, including "modernizing North Korea's conventional weaponry".
The lawmaker added that "several North Korean casualties" had already been attributed to Ukrainian missile and drone attacks and training accidents, with the highest ranking "at least at the level of a general".
The NIS said the high number of casualties could be attributed to the "unfamiliar battlefield environment, where North Korean forces are being utilized as expendable frontline assault units, and their lack of capability to counter drone attacks," said Lee.
Burden or asset?
"Within the Russian military, complaints have reportedly surfaced that the North Korean troops, due to their lack of knowledge about drones, are more of a burden than an asset," Lee said.
His comments follow a senior US military official on Tuesday saying North Korean forces had suffered "several hundred" casualties fighting Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky previously said North Korean troops had been at the heart of an "intensive offensive" in Kursk.
North Korea and Russia have strengthened their military ties since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. A landmark defense pact between Pyongyang and Moscow signed in June came into force earlier this month.
Experts say North Korea's Kim is keen to acquire advanced technology from Russia and battle experience for his troops.
Pyongyang on Thursday lashed out at what it called "reckless provocation" by the United States and its allies for a joint statement criticizing North Korea's support for Russia's war in Ukraine, including the deployment of troops.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the 10 nations and the European Union (EU) were "distorting and slandering" Pyongyang's "normal cooperative" ties with Moscow, according to state media.