TEL AVIV/ JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of Israelis protested judicial overhaul proposals Saturday in the 17th weekly rally against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
The demonstrations have been ongoing since the beginning of the year, and organizers plan to continue, despite Netanyahu delaying the changes last month. The leaders of the mass protests want the proposals scrapped altogether.
Thousands of Israelis also rallied in Jerusalem a day earlier in support of controversial plans by the far-right government to reform the judiciary.
It was the biggest demonstration of its kind yet. Plans include curbing the Supreme Court and giving the government control over the appointment of judges.
“The nation demands a judicial reform,” was the repeated cry from the crowd. Israelis are deeply divided over the proposals, with huge weekly protests against them over the past four months.
“We are just getting started,” read a banner that demonstrators held at the main protest in Tel Aviv, Israel’s economic hub. Smaller demonstrations were reported in several parts of the country.
Spanish Prime Minister and Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez voiced support for the Israeli antigovernment protesters in a video message aired on a large screen in Tel Aviv.
“We as Socialist International have always fought for freedom, equality, justice, and democracy. Yet, as many of you know, these are values that we cannot take for granted,” he said.
Such changes would result in weakening the Supreme Court, giving parliament, which is controlled by Netanyahu’s allies, authority to overturn its rulings and limiting its ability to review laws.
The protest gained support from the military’s elite reserve force, businesses, and large sectors of the Israeli community.
While Thursday’s demonstration was billed as a “million man” march, it is estimated that some 150,000 to 200,000 joined in.
Some participants trampled on posters of the Supreme Court justices and the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has become a bête noire for key members of the current government and its backers.
The justice and finance ministers addressed the crowd, promising to pass the judicial bills which were recently postponed by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
At the time, Netanyahu said he wanted to allow dialogue with his opponents. However, some cabinet ministers said they had agreed to the delay only till the parliament reconvened for its summer session on April 30.
“To all my friends who are sitting here, see how much power we have,” far-right lawmaker and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich told the rally.
The Justice Minister Yariv Levin said that two million Israelis who had voted for the current government had been given a mandate for the changes. “We are told that if the reform passes, there’ll be a dictatorship. There is no greater lie than this,” he said.
On Twitter, Netanyahu wrote: “I thank the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who came to Jerusalem tonight to support our government. Your passion and patriotism moves me deeply.
Recent polls indicate that the overhaul plans as they stand are very unpopular and that many Israelis would support a compromise.
The Israeli president — whose role is largely as a figurehead — has been urging both sides to reach a compromise and has hosted talks between politicians. — Agencies