Thousands of people once again took to the streets in Israel against the right-wing government’s controversial plans for judicial reform. According to the organizers, there were demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Rehovot, among other places.
Thousands of people once again took to the streets in Israel against the right-wing government’s controversial plans for judicial reform. According to the organizers, there were demonstrations on Saturday in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Rehovot, among other places. The protests have been taking place every weekend for the past 23 weeks.
The government’s plan aims to reduce the powers of the judiciary and the Supreme Court and strengthen the position of Parliament and the Prime Minister. With the reform, Parliament could overturn Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority. In addition, politicians have greater influence on the selection of judges.
The governing coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party and ultra-right and ultra-Orthodox parties argues that the reform should ensure a greater balance between legislation and the judiciary. The demonstrators, on the other hand, accuse the government of wanting to weaken the country’s independent judiciary and undermine democracy.
In Tel Aviv, Saturday’s protests also targeted a recent spate of violence in Arab-Israeli communities. “We will not allow Ben-Gvir to get away with murder in Arab society,” read a protest poster, alluding to the extreme right-wing Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to non-governmental organizers, around a hundred people have been killed in acts of violence within the Arab minority since the beginning of the year. Critics accuse the Israeli police of inaction in the face of crime and violence in Arab-Israeli communities. Most recently, five Arab Israelis were shot dead at a car wash near Nazareth on Thursday.