“SOS” – Tens of thousands protest against judicial reform in Israel

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Israel on Saturday to protest against controversial reform plans that would weaken the judiciary.

According to media reports, more than 150,000 people demonstrated against the plans of Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government in Tel Aviv alone in the evening despite extremely bad weather. Thousands of people also protested in other cities.

Israel’s government wants to implement a piece of judicial reform urgently: In about a week, it wants to pass a law that would strip the Supreme Court of its power to judge decisions by the government or individual ministers as “improper.” .

The bill is currently being prepared in the Judiciary Committee for a final vote in Parliament. Critics fear the law will encourage corruption and the arbitrary filling of high posts. The government accuses judges of too much interference in political decisions. Due to the draft law, the protests are now gaining momentum again.

Government schemes divide society

Meanwhile, hundreds of reservationists have announced that they no longer want to accept their obligations if the law comes into effect. Hundreds more may follow their example. More than a thousand doctors were also threatened with a walkout. They fear that judicial reform will have a negative impact on the country’s economy, democracy and security – and thus on the health system.

“When injustice becomes law, crime becomes law.”Image: EPA

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled that the appointment of Shas party leader Ari Deri as interior minister was “inappropriate”. As a result, Netanyahu had to fire his confidant. Observers expect the federation to change this with a new law.

The government plans to divide society. According to recent polls by the Israeli broadcaster “Channel 12”, 67 percent of people currently fear the outbreak of a civil war in the country. The next rallies are scheduled for Tuesday. In a “day of protest”, the demonstrators, among other things, intend to block roads again across the country. (sda/dpa)

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