Israelis protest judicial reforms for 9th week
Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated Saturday against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious plan to overhaul the regime’s legal system, as the cabinet pressed on with the proposed changes despite the mass opposition.
The plans were proposed in January, weeks after Netanyahu’s coalition, the most far-right cabinet in the regime’s history, was sworn in. The overhauls have increasingly divided the Israeli community and given momentum to weekly protests every Saturday, according to AP.
The debate stems from fears that the changes would weaken the Supreme Court, limit judges’ powers, and threaten democratic institutions. Netanyahu and his allies say they will rein in an unelected judiciary.
The central city of Tel Aviv saw the largest turnout in this week’s protests, with smaller demonstrations in several locations.
On Wednesday, Israeli police fired stun grenades and water cannons at demonstrators who blocked a Tel Aviv highway and protesters scuffled with police near the Israeli leader’s home as weeks of protests turned violent for the first time.