Sun 12 March 2023:
For the tenth week in a row, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government’s plans to limit the Supreme Court’s powers.
The rallies on Saturday drew a record 500,000 people, making them some of the “biggest in Israeli history,” according to organizers.
According to Israeli media, the turnout was between 250,000 and 300,000 people.
The protests come as Netanyahu’s government prepares to press ahead with its legislative agenda next week, ignoring calls for a pause to allow for negotiations on the contentious judicial reforms.
The rallies broke up without major incident, although police arrested three protesters who were blocking traffic on Tel Aviv’s ring road.
The uproar over the legal changes has plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises. Beyond the protests, which have drawn tens of thousands of Israelis to the streets and have recently become violent, opposition has surged from across society, with business leaders and legal officials speaking out against what they say will be the ruinous effects of the plan.
The legislation would give more weight to the government in the committee that selects judges and would deny the Supreme Court the right to strike down any amendments to so-called Basic Laws, Israel’s quasi-constitution.
Another element of the reforms would give the 120-member parliament power to overrule Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority of 61 votes.
Critics say the changes will destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of the prime minister and his allies.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and says the legal changes have nothing to do with his trial.
Israeli President Issac Herzog, who has largely served in a ceremonial capacity, called on the governing coalition to halt the legislation, calling it a “threat to the foundations of democracy” on Thursday.
Simcha Rotman, the chair of parliament’s law committee, has scheduled daily hearings on parts of the government’s reforms from Sunday to Wednesday ahead of votes.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin has stated that the coalition intends to pass key reform elements before parliament adjourns on April 2.
The judicial overhaul is a cornerstone of Netanyahu’s administration, which was formed in late December by an alliance of ultra-Orthodox Jewish and extreme-right parties.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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