Wearing face masks, waving black flags and keeping two yards apart, thousands of Israelis demonstrated against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu under strict coronavirus restrictions on Sunday.
Netanyahu, who denies any wrongdoing, is under criminal indictment in three corruption cases. He is also negotiating a power-sharing deal with his rival, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to form a coalition government that would end a year of political deadlock after three inconclusive elections.
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Demonstrations are allowed under Israel's coronavirus restrictions, as long as participants maintain distance from each other and wear face masks.
Under the banner of "Save the Democracy," protesters called on Gantz not to join in a coalition led by Netanyahu.
Organizers said over 2,000 Israelis took part in the rally to protest Netanyahu's attempts to form an "emergency" government with his chief rival, accusing him of using the coronavirus crisis to escape prosecution.
Gantz, who during three bitter election campaigns over the past year vowed never to sit in a government with Netanyahu due to his legal problems, announced last month that he had accepted the prime minister's suggestion to form a unity government to deal with the coronavirus crisis.
The announcement infuriated many of Gantz's supporters and caused his Blue and White party to fracture.
"You don't fight corruption from within. If you're inside, you're part of it," said Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, Gantz's former political partner, who withdrew from the Blue and White alliance last month.
Netanyahu has been charged with fraud, breach of justice and accepting bribes. He denies the charges and says he is the victim of a hostile media and aggressive police and prosecutors.
Demonstrators repeatedly chanted "democracy" and accused the prime minister of endangering the country's democratic institutions. "Corona equals virus in the service of a dictator," read one sign.
