Thousands of protesters trekked into Jerusalem Saturday night as the right-wing government moves to vote on the key piece of its controversial judicial reform plans that would curb how the Supreme Court can overrule government decisions.
Demonstrators carrying Israeli flags marched for several days on a roughly 45-mile trek starting in Tel Aviv in an attempt to block the Israeli parliament from approving the legislation, which critics say could allow for greater government overreach. Opponents were camped outside the country’s parliament and Israelis on both sides of the issue were praying outside the Western Wall. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would be back at work Monday after being hospitalized for an emergency heart procedure.
“This extremist group has no mandate to turn Israel into a messianic and non-democratic state,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said Thursday. “The Netanyahu government is waging a war of attrition against the citizens of Israel.”
Why are Israelis protesting?
Netanyahu’s proposed reforms have incited constant intense protests across the country for seven months since the plans were unveiled in January.
Protests were most intense at one point when Netanyahu fired his defense minister for publicly opposing the reforms in March with demonstrators blocking highways and rallying outside Netanyahu’s home in Jerusalem. Netanyahu later reversed his decision to fire his defense minister in April.
Israel could see even more intense protests when the country’s parliament is expected to vote on a series of reforms on Monday.
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What are the judicial reforms in Israel?
The judicial reforms being voted on Monday will limit Israel’s Supreme Court to block government decisions it deems “unreasonable.” Proponents for the judicial reforms contend the standard of “reasonableness” gives the Supreme Court too much broad authority over the government.
The U.S., a longtime ally of Israel, has also attempted to pressure Netanyahu and his allies to halt its plans to overhaul the country’s judiciary. President Joe Biden called Netanyahu last Monday and urged him to find “consensus” on the issue.
“President Biden reiterated, in the context of the current debate in Israel about judicial reform, the need for the broadest possible consensus, and that shared democratic values have always been and must remain a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” the White House said in a statement about the call.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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