Rallies over Netanyahu's planned judiciary changes attract over 1 lakh Israelis

 

On Saturday, tens of thousands of Israelis participated in demonstrations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hotly contested proposals to tighten restrictions on the Supreme Court.

The proposed revision, which would have allowed the government to choose Supreme Court nominees and allowed parliament to overturn many decisions, was put on hold after opponents launched some of the largest street demonstrations ever witnessed in Israel, which are currently in their 18th week.

The revision is required, according to the administration, to rebalance the relationship between the judiciary and elected lawmakers after activist judges have been accused of taking over the work of parliament.

According to critics, it will eliminate crucial checks and balances that support a democratic state and give the executive branch unfettered power.

According to a poll aired by Israeli national television on Friday, 74% of Israelis believe the government is not functioning well five months into the term of the far-right coalition.

In a show of resistance against proposals that they view as an existential danger to Israeli democracy, crowds gathered in the center of Tel Aviv on Saturday.

According to Israel's Channel 12, there were at least 110,000 protesters in Tel Aviv alone, and there were also more demonstrations in other cities across the nation.

In Tel Aviv, protester and teacher Bental Shamir, 60, told Reuters, "I'm very concerned for my country." "I don't want a corrupt nation," you said.

The scheduled revision has been postponed in an effort to give Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who serves in a mostly ceremonial capacity, time to mediate a compromise between the coalition and opposition that may see the legislation reduced. However, compromise talks have not yielded results thus far.

Regarding the compromise negotiations, attorney Dor Lasker, 35, told Reuters: "I'm sure we're closer than we can imagine." "I'm sure it could happen," she said.

Israeli flags in blue and white, which have come to symbolize the protests over the last three months, were waved by demonstrators.

King Charles III greeted Herzog after the coronation ceremony in London and thanked him for his efforts in mediating, according to a statement from the office of the Israeli president.