In Tel Aviv 80 thousand protesters demanded to cancel the reform of the Supreme Court of Israel Netanyahu’s government wants to reduce the powers of the Supreme Court and gain control over the selection of judges, this has led to thousands of protests in recent weeks. The prime minister’s cousin compared the actions of the authorities with the Nazis
An opposition rally was held in Gabima Square in Tel Aviv demanding to cancel the reform of the Israeli Supreme Court of Justice, writes JPost. The publication indicates that more than 80 thousand people took part in the demonstration, the organizers of the protest action say about 100 thousand participants.
Thousands of people also gathered in Haifa and near the residence of Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog in Jerusalem, and about 200 demonstrators took to the Ha-Shalom highway, but were stopped by the police, who detained those trying to circumvent the barrier. In addition, the police detained protesters who were unfurling Palestinian flags, according to the instructions of the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who ordered in early January to remove Palestinian flags from public places.
A cousin of the current Prime Minister, Dan Netanyahu, spoke at the rally, who compared the government’s actions with the measures of the Nazis in the first half of the last century, which eliminated legal obstacles in Germany on the way to obtaining full power.
“The government in Israel has entered into a war against the very democratic institutions in order to rule without restrictions. No debate, no legitimate criticism, just a political coup. No, the elections do not allow those in power to destroy democracy itself,” former Justice Minister Cipni Livni said at the rally.
At the end of December last year, the Israeli parliament confirmed Netanyahu’s government, formed based on the results of the elections held in November.Netanyahu became prime minister for the third time. The new head of the Ministry of Justice, Yariv Levin, proposed a legal reform, which assumed that the powers of the Supreme Court of Justice would be limited in relation to laws and government decisions, and the Cabinet of Ministers would also gain control over the selection of judges.
The opposition believes that the reform threatens the democratic foundations of Israel, the first rally was held on January 7 in Tel Aviv, then 30 thousand people took part in it. “The achievements of the High Court, which contributed to the development of society and benefited everyone, are now in serious danger,” the collective letter of the formerThe Attorneys General of Avichayamandelblitai Yehudyvainstein, the former Chairman of the Supreme Court of Aaronabarak and the former Vice-President of the Supreme Court of Elyakimarubinstein.
Netanyahu demanded an end to the protests.
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