More than 70,000 Israelis protest Netanyahu’s judicial reform

More of 70,000 Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv this Saturday against the judicial reform plans of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new governmentin the largest protest in the country in years and before what they see as a threat to the democratic system.

Protesters gathered in Tel Aviv’s Habima Square to express their protest rejecting an initiative that would give the executive more power at the expense of Justicewhose independence would be seriously weakened.

Attendees, of all ages and from different parts of the country, came with Israeli flags and umbrellas to protect themselves from the intense winter rain that hit the city this Saturday.

Some also launched posters with messages against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Justice Minister Yariv Levin, in addition to the trademark black flags that have marked protests against the prime minister in recent years.

Today’s demonstration in Tel Aviv, which was also attended by several opposition politicians, was the largest in years and spread beyond Habima Square, with several adjacent streets packed with people.

This was joined by two other large protests in the cities of Haifa and Jerusalem, attended by some 2,000 people, according to Israeli media estimates.

Although the police had warned of the possibility of riots due to the large concentration of people and deployed about a thousand officers, the protest in Tel Aviv was peaceful and without major incidents.

“I am a concerned citizen, concerned about the legal regime of Israel and I fear that a government led by a person who handles many criminal cases will introduce a massive reform that will change the essence of the Israeli legal regime,” explained the Israeli. William Alter out. to EFE. , in reference to the trial Netanyahu faces charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust in three separate corruption cases.

Another protester, Dorit Volach, moved with her family from the town of Kiryat Ono and said she was “worryed about the future of the country and the anti-democratic processes it is going through”.

Protesters carry a portrait of Netanyahu wearing a crown. EFE.

Keys to Reform

Judicial reform plans announced by the new justice minister include: controversial measure which allows a simple majority of parliamentarians to overturn a decision of the Supreme Court requiring the repeal of a law or government decision, also known as “the cancellation clause”.

This would pave the way for the executive to prevail over the judiciary in the event of a conflict between the two.

On the other hand, the reform also envisages regulations that would replace to the lawyers of the Judicial Appointments Committee for political accusations and eliminates the so-called “reasonableness” presumption so that the Supreme Court can prevent the appointment of senior political officials if it believes they have broken the law.

Rejection of the population and justice

Popular rejection has been palpable since the inauguration of the current executive, sparking multiple protests in recent weeks.

This Saturday’s demonstration is the second in a row in Tel Aviv and contributes to the rejection of the reform by senior justice officials, including Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, who this week described it as “a mortal wound to the independence from Justice.

Also questioning the new executive’s plans was former Supreme Court president Ayala Procaccia, who addressed the public at this Saturday’s demonstration in Tel Aviv and warned that “a country in which judges must take to the streets to It is a country where all borders have been crossed.”

“We are at the dawn of a new era in which there is a new definition of democracy: a democracy that is incomplete and based entirely on the presumed will of the voter, which no longer gives weight to other fundamental democratic values,” Procaccia added. to the concerned crowd.