Tens of thousands demonstrate against Netanyahu's government

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
12 Feb 2023 00:02
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Protesters called for a mass strike to protest judicial reforms on Monday when the first vote on the legislation will be held.

Tens of thousands of Israeli settlers in "Tel Aviv" protesting against judicial reforms introduced by Netanyahu's government on Saturday, February 11, 2023. (Twitter)

Israeli settlers took to the streets in the tens of thousands to protest the government's judiciary reforms, Israeli media reported on Saturday.

The proposed reform package, which would limit the authority of the High Court of Justice and give the cabinet control over the selection of new judges, is set to be announced on Monday when the first vote on the legislation will also be held.

In response to the voting session, the demonstrators called for a mass strike and an escalation of protests on Monday.

According to the Israeli media, citing organizers of the protests, around 145,000 settlers demonstrated in "Tel Aviv" on Saturday evening, in addition to 83,000 others across the occupation entity.

The protesters marched through "Rothschild Boulevard", knowing that the gathering was held at "Kaplan" Street.

The planned overhaul drew public criticism and prompted a wave of mass protests in the past few weeks that reached several hundreds of thousands during most marches, according to Israeli estimates.

One of the speakers at the "Kaplan" gathering was former "Justice" Minister Tzipi Livni.

“We did not take to the streets because of the election results. We are here because of what you have been doing since you were elected. Personal laws, a political takeover of the gatekeepers, persecution of civil servants. This madness has a name. It is no longer signs, but the thing itself — fascism,” she told the protesters.

For the first time since the demonstrations against Netanyahu's government started, a protest was also held in the occupied West Bank in the illegal settlement of "Efrat".

According to Israeli media, marches have been also organized across the United States and some European capitals.

On February 1, Israeli occupation Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he could not take part in his government's efforts to fundamentally reform the legal and judicial system because "he has a conflict of interest due to his ongoing corruption trial."

Illustrating the increasingly stark division between Israelis, the president of Israeli occupation’s Supreme Court Esther Hayut lashed out at the "judicial reform plan" proposed by Netanyahu's cabinet, stressing that it "would crush the justice system."

"With great cynicism, the architects of the plan call it a plan to correct the judicial system.’ And I say, it is a plan to crush the judicial system. It is intended to deliver a fatal blow to the independence and autonomy of the judicial system and silence it," she said.