For the 28th week in a row, tens of thousands have protested against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet and its destructive policies in the occupied territories by taking to the streets.
More than 100,000 people gathered in the coastal city of Tel Aviv alone for the rallies on Saturday against the policies of the regime’s extremist cabinet, including a highly unpopular plan promoted by Netanyahu to reform Israel’s judicial system.
read more: Israeli high court set to hear petition calling for Netanyahu dismissal
Outside the al-Quds residence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, protesters staged other demonstrations throughout the occupied territories.
The goal of the so-called “judicial overhaul” plan is to deny the Israeli Supreme Court the authority to overturn legislative decisions made by the ruling party. Additionally, it aims to increase the Israeli cabinet’s influence over the selection of court judges.
Supporters claim the proposal will put an end to years of judicial overreach, while detractors claim it will eliminate crucial restraints on the political class’s ability to exercise power.
Furthermore, critics claim that Netanyahu, who is facing multiple corruption-related charges, is attempting to use the scheme to overturn any verdicts that might be rendered against him.
The Knesset approved the highly contentious and divisive plan’s first reading on Monday despite the constant protests.
Before being signed into law, the bill must pass two additional readings.
Up until the cabinet decides not to move forward with the overhaul plan, protesters have vowed to continue holding enormous rallies.
We came to participate in this weekly amazing mass. Reuters quoted a protester as saying that “hundreds of thousands of people are coming for a non-violent protest” to ensure that the Israeli cabinet “gets the message and accordingly stops this terrible legislation.”
Netanyahu halted the plan in March to allow for discussions on the proposed bill in the face of fierce opposition and a wave of general strikes. But that inter-party discussion broke down last month.
According to Netanyahu, he has submitted a scaled-back plan to the Knesset for final approval, one that does not include some contentious elements present in the original plan.
“We must stop them before the summer session of the legislature ends in two and a half weeks”, added another protester.
