Posted on 04/29/23
| News Source: i24
The government and its supporters say the changes are needed to rein in activist judges who have intruded aggressively into parliamentary politics
An estimated 200 thousand Israelis took to Tel Aviv's streets on Saturday night to protest against a planned judicial overhaul for the seventeenth consecutive weekend.
This is the first demonstration held after Thursday's march in Jerusalem in support of the the proposed judicial overhaul of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right wing government.
“We are just getting started,” read one banner, with another offering the warning that "History has its eyes on you." Demonstrators lit flares and brandished Israeli flags and anti-overhaul banners.
For four months, Israelis demonstrated each week by the tens of thousands against the reforms, which sparked a controversy that split the nation and divided the government. Many liberals regard it as a major threat to Israeli democracy.
The government and its supporters say the changes are needed to rein in activist judges who have intruded aggressively into the sphere of parliament and the executive, but agreed last month to pause the plans to allow for more consultation.
Many Israelis attest that for them the standoff has opened up profound questions about their country that go beyond the makeup of the Supreme Court and the power of the executive to override its decisions.