Israel: Thousands take to street against Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul

Tel Aviv [Israel]: Tens of thousands of Israeli protestors took to the streets on Saturday against the judicial overhaul, as the protests against the plan entered the 32nd week, Times of Israel reported.

This comes days after the government indicated that it still intends to pass the most critical part of the package despite massive opposition.

Over 100,000 were in attendance, at the main Tel Aviv protest, Times of Israel reported citing Channel 13 news, which cited data from the CrowdSolutions firm.
Rallies were also held at some 150 other locations.

The protesters gathered at Kaplan Square for the main part of the rally and hundreds of them marched to the nearby home of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. They were chanting “We are not afraid”, were waving flags and blowing horns outside before eventually being pushed away by police.

Notably, hounding the homes of government ministers has been a staple of anti-overhaul protests from the get-go, echoing tactics employed last year by the Benjamin Netanyahu-led opposition that eventually toppled the previous government and returned the Likud party leader to power, as per Times of Israel.

Dozens of Tel Aviv protesters also marched down the main Yigal Alon road, seeking to block traffic, as police moved to clear them.

Among those addressing the Tel Aviv rally was retired general Amiram Levin, who made a tearful plea to Likud ministers to “be brave” and oppose the coalition’s judicial overhaul legislation.

“Bibi wants to give the keys to the country to a group of awful ministers, some of whom are convicted criminals and draft dodgers, to ministers who encourage massacring Palestinians subject to our rule, to a racist minister who loots the state budget and blocks funds for Arabs, just because they are Arabs. To a justice minister who wants one branch of government and no independent judiciary,” Levin said, apparently referring to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and other Orthodox members of the cabinet, according to Times of Israel.

Also joining the Tel Aviv rally was Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who tweeted: “We come to Kaplan today to say that a government that doesn’t obey the court, that doesn’t obey the law, is an illegal government.”

Meanwhile, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused to commit to honouring a theoretical High Court of Justice decision striking down the reasonableness law — which was passed into law and bars judicial review of government and ministerial decisions on the grounds of their “reasonableness” — raising concerns of a potential constitutional crisis.

Netanyahu indicated a week ago that his government will move ahead with changing the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee, perhaps the most far-reaching and controversial measure in the judicial shakeup package.

He intimated that he was still seeking consensus on this. After that, he said, he would shelve the rest of the judicial overhaul plan, the Times of Israel reported.

The current judicial selection bill, which was suspended in March but is ready to be brought for its final readings at short notice, would remake the Judicial Selection Committee, under which coalition and Supreme Court representatives currently each have veto power over the other’s candidates for the top court, requiring a consensus on such appointments, Times of Israel reported.

Instead, the legislation would change the composition of the panel so as to bring appointments throughout the judicial hierarchy under near-absolute government control.