Thousands of Israelis Protest Netanyahu’s Legal Reforms

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• Tens of thousands of Israelis have been protesting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court, limit judges’ powers and threaten democratic institutions.
• The protests have been growing in size and intensity since the far-right government was sworn in, with people from all sections of society attending.
• Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called for dialogue and compromise, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused.
• Scuffles between police and protesters near Mr Netanyahu’s home have been reported.
• Protestors have expressed their determination to continue demonstrating until their demands are met.

Die Details

Protests Against Netanyahu’s Plans

Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in a ninth week of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plans to overhaul the country’s legal system. The plans, proposed in January, would weaken the Supreme Court, limit judges’ powers and threaten democratic institutions.

Growing in Size and Intensity

The protests have been growing in size and intensity since the far-right government was sworn in. Israelis from all sections of society have been attending the demonstrations, including religious and secular, old and young, private sector workers and public sector workers, right-wing and left-wing.

Calls for Dialogue and Compromise

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called for dialogue and compromise, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused. The hard right-wing has wanted these reforms for years; now that they are in government, they’re unlikely to give up, whatever the consequences.

Scuffles between police and protesters near Mr Netanyahu’s home were reported on Saturday.

One of the protestors, a 53-year-old history teacher Ronen Cohen, said: “I came to demonstrate against the regime revolution, which the Israeli government forced upon us. I hope that this huge demonstration will affect and prove that we are not going to give up.”

Another protestor, a 68-year-old high school teacher Ophir Kubitsky, said: “There’s a great danger that Israel will turn into a dictatorship. We came here to demonstrate over and over again until we win.”

The protests against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans to overhaul the country’s legal system have been ongoing for nine weeks, with increasing numbers of Israelis from all walks of life taking to the streets.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called for dialogue and compromise, but Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused. The hard right-wing has wanted these reforms for years, and now that they are in government, they’re unlikely to give up, whatever the consequences.

There have been reports of scuffles between police and protesters near Mr Netanyahu’s home, and protestors have expressed their determination to continue demonstrating until their demands are met.