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Protesters in Tel Aviv try to block highway, four people detained — radio

According to the police, the opposition rally in Tel Aviv was attended by about 140,000 people

TEL AVIV, March 5. /TASS/. Israeli police detained four people after a mass opposition rally on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, the state-run Kan radio station reported.

After the demonstration near the governmental building in the east of Tel Aviv, a group of protesters headed for the nearby Ayalon highway, one of the main thoroughfares of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. The protesters managed to break through the police cordon and reach the roadway where they held a spontaneous picket, blocking the traffic a while.

The police had to use water cannons to disperse the crowd, and soon the highway was unblocked to cars. Four protesters were eventually detained.

According to the police, the opposition rally in Tel Aviv was attended by about 140,000 people. No incidents were reported during the demonstration itself.

Protests by opponents of Benjamin Netanyahu's government, in particular against his proposed judicial reform, have been going on in Israel since early January. Opposition activists insist that the reform undermines the state's democratic foundations, while the Cabinet claims that it is carrying out the will of its constituents and will implement the changes it promised despite the confrontational rhetoric of the dissenters.

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