Tel Aviv, 17 January 2023 (GNP): More than 80,000 Israelis rallied in the streets against the proposed reforms of the far-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. One of the foremost proposed reforms of the government empowering the Israeli Parliament, Knesset, to overturn any decision of the Supreme Court.
The Israeli protesters were chanting slogans against the Netanyahu government and called this reform undemocratic and an attack on the democracy of the country.
The Likud party of Prime Minister Netanyahu got a majority in the last November general elections that holds strong far-right political views.
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People also gathered in protest outside the official residence of the Israeli Prime Minister, Beit Aghion. Protesters clashed with the local police, who tried to clear the blocked roads and dispersed them.
These reforms are criticized by all quarters as they would likely foster corruption and human rights violations in Israel.
Moreover, the credibility and belief in the judicial system of the country would further be eroded due to these reforms.
The main stalwarts against the Netanyahu government reforms are the Chief Justice of Israel, Esther Hayat, and the Attorney General of the country, Gali Baharav-Maira.
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Posters and banners carried by these protesters labeled the incumbent-Israeli government as shameful for trying to muffle freedom of speech and justice in their own country.
Opposition parties stressed the Israeli people to come out against these judicial reforms, which they called anti-democratic and destructive.
Under these reforms, a simple majority of the Parliament, Knesset, would be sufficient to repeal any decision of the Supreme Court. This would safeguard the Likud party government from the fear of any law being struck down by the Supreme Court.
The opposition says that this would be used to dump the ongoing trial of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has been charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust that he strictly denies.
The said reforms would give more power and influence in the appointing of judges to the ruling government, thus further infringing the impartiality and credibility of the judiciary. This would also authorize the government to legislate about the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank without challenges in the Supreme Court.