In the meantime, it’s not just about the judicial reform, but also about the planned budget: the mass protests against the Israeli government continue. The demonstrators accuse her of “political corruption”.
Again tens of thousands took to the streets in Israel against the right-wing religious government and its plans to weaken the judiciary.
They gathered in several major cities and waved Israeli flags. Banners and signs in Tel Aviv read slogans like “Stop them,” “Israel is not Iran,” or “The plundering government.” According to the organizers, more than 130,000 people took part in the Mediterranean metropolis alone.
Household should favor the strictly religious
In addition to the so-called judicial reform, the protests this week were also directed against a new distribution of state finances. The government must approve the budget by the end of May. According to media reports, the strictly religious coalition parties in particular are set to benefit from the plans, which have already been approved by Parliament’s Finance Committee.
The organizers of the protests accused the government of “plundering the treasury in favor of political corruption”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is distributing tax money to his allies “to facilitate the implementation of dictatorial laws,” it said in a statement.
Judicial reform: Suspended but not abandoned
This means judicial reform. The right-wing religious coalition wants to use it, among other things, to curtail the influence of the supreme court, which it accuses of excessive interference in political decisions. In addition, decisions by the court should be able to be overridden by a simple majority in parliament. Critics see the separation of powers in danger and warn of a national crisis.
Because of pressure from the streets, Netanyahu put the plans on hold in March but did not give up. Negotiations between the government and the opposition on a compromise have so far been unsuccessful.
The mass protests have been going on for almost five months. Last week, however, they were canceled for security reasons due to fighting between the Islamic Jihad terrorist group and the Israeli military.