- More than 100,000 people demonstrated against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv.
- The demonstrators accuse the government of deliberately wanting to weaken the Israeli judicial system.
- According to media reports, former prime minister Jair Lapid also attended the rally. Around 1000 police officers were on duty.
For the third Saturday night in a row, demonstrators gathered at several locations in the center of the Israeli coastal city. Posters read “Stop the end of democracy” or pictures of Netanyahu with the words “Criminals”.
It was the largest demonstration to date against the new government, which was sworn in at the end of December. Thousands of people also took to the streets in the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba.
Legend:
REUTERS/Corinna Kern
The protest was primarily directed against the government’s intention to deliberately weaken the country’s judicial system. According to the plans of Justice Minister Jariv Levin, a majority in parliament should be able to pass a law even if the highest court considers it to be in violation of the Basic Law.
Levin also wants to change the composition of the panel that appoints judges. The far-reaching changes could also play into Netanyahu’s hands in his ongoing corruption trial.
New coalition changes law
The protests were fueled this week by a far-reaching ruling by the highest court. The judges ruled on Wednesday that Israel’s interior and health minister, Arie Deri, should not remain in office. The judges justified their judgment with the repeated conviction of Deri. They also stated that last year in a court case for tax offenses he assured that he would withdraw from politics.
The new coalition had specifically amended a law so that Deri could become a minister despite his conviction. The leader of the strictly religious Shas party is considered a close confidant of Netanyahu. The re-elected Prime Minister had not yet officially commented on the verdict. It was unclear whether he would resist this or whether Deri would be released.
Supporters of the planned judicial reform feel vindicated by the judgment against Deri. For years, they have accused the highest court of excessive interference in political decisions.