Protests in Israel Turn Violent After Firing of Police Chief

  • Thousands take to streets in anti-government demonstarations
  • Netanyahu is persisting with plans to reform the judicary
Police use water cannon to disperse anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv on July 5.Photographer: Oren Ziv/AFP/Getty Images
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Protests in Israel triggered by the firing of Tel Aviv’s police chief spilled into a second day, leading to some of the worst clashes since the peak of this year’s anti-government demonstrations in March.

Thousands poured into the streets Wednesday evening, blocking several major highways and starting bonfires, before being dispersed by police on horseback and — in some cases — with water cannons. More than a dozen protesters were hospitalized, according to the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, a major hospital, while local media said many more were arrested.