Tens of thousands protest Israeli judicial reforms

Israeli protesters attended a rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new hard-right government in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on February 4, 2023. PHOTO AFP JERUSALEM - Tens of thousands of Israelis protested on Saturday night in several cities to protest the government's plan to reform the judiciary.

The largest protest was held in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, attended by thousands of people.

Demonstrators have rallied for five weeks in a row to voice their discontent with the judicial reforms proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They say the reforms will weaken the courts and give the ruling coalition more power.

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These people protesting came to save our country, said former prime minister Yair Lapid at the demonstration in Haifa, northern Israel. We will fight this in the courts and in parliament, and we will save our country. Netanyahu and his partners say the changes are necessary in order to limit the power of the judicial system, which has become too powerful in recent decades. They say that the supreme court usually intervenes in political issues that should be determined by the parliament.

Despite the protests, Netanyahu has pledged to push forward with the reforms.

Netanyahu is facing a trial on corruption charges. He denies any wrongdoing, but his opponents say the reforms are personally motivated.

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The changes include giving the parliament the ability to override Supreme Court rulings with a simple majority, and giving them greater influence on politicians in the appointment of supreme court judges. Legal advisers to ministries will be political appointments instead of civil servants. It is possible that Netanyahu could influence the outcome of his own case.

According to Israeli media reports, doctors and lawyers will hold symbolic strikes next week to protest the reforms.