For the 13th consecutive week, thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to protest against a controversial judicial overhaul proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The proposed reforms would reduce the authority of the Supreme Court and grant politicians greater powers over the selection of judges, which critics say could threaten Israeli democracy. Demonstrators carried Israeli flags and chanted “democracy” while carrying placards condemning Netanyahu’s hard-right government. Smaller rallies were also held in other cities across the country.
The protests began in January after the coalition announced its reform package, which it claims is necessary to rebalance powers between parliamentarians and the judiciary. However, opponents argue that the proposed changes would undermine the independence of the court and amount to a legal coup. Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption charges he denies, argues that the reforms are necessary to balance the branches of government.
On Monday, Netanyahu announced a pause in the passage of the necessary legislation through parliament following a general strike triggered by his decision to fire Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for calling for a pause. By Tuesday, representatives from most of parliament’s parties had begun talks at President Isaac Herzog’s residence to try to formulate legislation that would be acceptable to both sides of the political spectrum.
However, many political commentators and opposition figures have expressed scepticism about the chances of Herzog’s mediation efforts succeeding. The coalition has said that it will complete legislation in the next parliamentary session if talks fail. Netanyahu is under pressure from his far-right allies to press on with the judicial reforms despite nationwide protests against the move.
Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Tel Aviv, said that a wide spectrum of the Israeli population was against Netanyahu’s plans for a judicial overhaul. “A lot of people here don’t believe the prime minister when he says he will genuinely engage in consultations,” he said.
Israeli media estimated that more than 150,000 people attended anti-government protests nationwide on Saturday. Netanyahu’s Likud party and political allies in the far-right have been calling on their political base to stage counter-demonstrations.
Meanwhile, Gallant has not been presented with the dismissal letter required by law, so he has been going about his duties as usual.