More than 100,000 people once again took to the streets in Israel to protest against the Netanyahu government’s judicial reform. The Supreme Court will consider the highly controversial project next week.
Three days before the start of a crucial court hearing on a key element of Israel’s judicial reform, more than a hundred thousand people demonstrated against the controversial restructuring of the judiciary. According to Israeli media, almost 120,000 people took part in the central rally in Tel Aviv. There were also protests in other Israeli cities.
At the rally in Tel Aviv late in the evening, a man drove his car into a group that was blocking the road. According to the police, five people were slightly injured. The driver was arrested.
Reform severely restricts Supreme Court
At the end of July, the right-wing coalition under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu passed a law that restricts the Supreme Court’s ability to act as part of a highly controversial restructuring of the judiciary. Critics classify the approach as a threat to Israel’s democracy. The government argues that the Supreme Court is too powerful and interferes too much in political issues.
Next Tuesday, all judges of the Supreme Court want to meet for the first time to deal with petitions against the new law. However, it was unclear when a decision could be expected. It is expected that the discussions could last several weeks. If the law is withdrawn, the country will face a national crisis.