Between 8,000 and 10,000 people gathered in a central square in Tel Aviv, Israel’s main city, to oppose the project announced this week by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, put forward by the Efe agency. .
The reform proposed by Netanyahu’s executive includes a measure that would allow a simple majority of deputies to overturn a Supreme Court decision to repeal a law or government decision, known as an “nullification clause.”
Critics of the reform say the measure would weaken the independence of the judiciary and pave the way for the government to defeat the judiciary in the event of a conflict between the two sides.
“We will not allow our country to be destroyed. We will continue to fight for our democracy,” said Merav Michaeli, leader of the Workers’ Party, who joined the demonstration.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the reforms, saying on Twitter that they “endanger the entire legal system of the State of Israel”.
The recently presented judicial reform has already been the target of strong criticism from Israel’s attorney general and the country’s opposition, who have warned of the difficulties the new far-right government will face if it proceeds with the planned measures.
Demonstrators held up placards with slogans such as “Democracy in danger” and “Together against fascism and apartheid”.
Some waved Israeli flags, while others held a large banner with the slogans “Minister of Crime (Minister of Crime)” – a slogan that has been widely used by Israelis in recent years at regular demonstrations against Netanyahu.
“My grandparents came to Israel to build something incredible here… We don’t want to feel that our democracy is disappearing, that the Supreme Court is going to be destroyed,” said a lawyer among the protesters, who identified himself as Assaf. identified.
“The extremists are starting to mobilize their forces, but they are not the majority,” said another protester, Omer, a Tel Aviv tech worker.
The new government has announced its intention to implement a policy of expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank and implementing social reforms that are of concern to members and supporters of the LGBTQ community.
Netanyahu, 73, who is fighting corruption charges in court, is the longest-serving politician (1996-1999 and 2009-2021) since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. A year and a half has passed in the opposition, but returned to power after winning a comfortable majority with its allies in the November 1, 2022 elections.
Following these elections, Benjamin Netanyahu took office on December 30 as the right-wing head of government in Israel’s history, heading a coalition that includes far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, some of which now head key ministries. The executive consists of a politician who admitted to tax evasion last year and a group of far-right personalities.
Source: DN
