Defying the heavy rains, thousands of Israelis joined the demonstrations this Saturday (4) for the fifth consecutive week, against the judicial reform plans promoted by the new government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protesters say the changes will threaten the ministers’ democratic checks and balances through the courts, and accuse Netanyahu of trying to escape legal proceedings against him. Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges.
The plans, which the government says are needed to curb the glut of activist judges, have drawn strong opposition from civil society groups, including lawyers, and raised concerns among business leaders, widening already deep political divisions in Israel..
“I am here tonight protesting the transition from Israel, from a democracy to an autocracy,” Dov Levenglick, a software engineer, told Reuters.
“The prime minister, who should be focusing on his judgment, is focusing on dragging Israel to some kind of totalitarian autocracy, all at their service. It’s a disgrace, it shouldn’t last.”
Netanyahu played down the protests, treating them as a refusal by leftist opponents to accept the November election results.
Protesters say the future of democracy Israel at stake is whether the government succeeds in passing the plans, which would strengthen political control over judicial appointments and limit the Supreme Court’s powers to overturn government decisions.
As well as threatening the independence of judges and weakening government and parliamentary oversight, protesters say the plans will undermine minority rights and open the door to more corruption.
Source: CNN Brasil
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