Thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv to condemn the planned judicial reforms by Benjamin Netanyahu administration which they say will weaken the Supreme court.
Anti-Netanyahu protesters hold massive rally in Tel Aviv
29 Jan 2023 - 11:05
Thousands of Israeli protesters have taken to the streets in Tel Aviv to condemn the planned judicial reforms by Benjamin Netanyahu administration which they say will weaken the Supreme court.
The protest was held on Saturday, marking another chapter in the weekly demonstrations that have been taking place in the city and elsewhere throughout the occupied territories, since Netanyahu announced his far-right cabinet last month.
The participants banged on drums, shouted anti-regime slogans through megaphones, and impersonated Netanyahu in prison uniforms and handcuffs.
A man was seen holding up a banner that read, "Slipping into darkness."
"We came to demonstrate against an illegitimate" cabinet, said an NGO worker who vowed that the protests "will not stop."
"I believe that what the current prime minister is doing is wrong...I think we are in a very dangerous situation...," said another.
Netanyahu cobbled together his cabinet late last month, allying himself with the most far-right parties across Knesset (the Israeli parliament).
In order to secure the loyalty and partnership of the extremist politicians, he has pledged to further their desired agendas, including by "overhauling" the regime's judicial apparatus by taking away the supreme court's ability to nullify the decisions that are made by the either the cabinet or Knesset.
Netanyahu is also accused of trying to effect the changes as means of fighting off a set of corruption charges he was slapped with during the twilight of his previous mandate as premier in 2019.
He has dismissed the protests as a refusal by his leftist opponents to accept the results of last November's election, which gave him the right to announce the cabinet. He has rather said the judicial reforms are needed to hamstring what he has calls "activist judges," who could stand up to the regime's decisions.
This was the fourth straight week that huge demonstrations were held against Netanyahu's extremist cabinet and his political agenda.
Story Code: 582172