Hundreds of individuals gather to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 29, 2023.
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Tens of 1000’s of flag-waving Israelis renewed their protests nationwide after sundown on Saturday, capping per week of turmoil during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed through a highly contested law that limited some Supreme Court power.
From a distant intersection amongst the plush hills of the northern Galilee to the avenues criss-crossing the financial hub of Tel Aviv, protesters beating drums and blaring horns took to the streets on a hot evening at the top of Sabbath.
The judicial overhaul pursued by Netanyahu and his right-wing government, the primary a part of which passed on Monday, has sparked an unprecedented crisis and opened up a deep social divide. The protests are of their thirtieth week.
The federal government’s plan has shaken the commitment to call-up duty of some army reservists while drawing stern warnings of economic fallout from rankings agencies.
“All of us don’t see any future if this may carry on going,” said Yariv Shavit, 53, an engineer in Israel’s high-tech sector who gathered with other protesters carrying a flower and a flag. “We usually are not united. We lost our unity.”
Political watchdog groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to strike down the brand new law, which removes the high court’s authority to void what it deems “unreasonable” decisions by government and ministers. The court said it could hear arguments in September, setting the scene for a constitutional showdown.
Netanyahu has tried to attenuate the impact of the brand new law, ratified after days of rowdy debate in parliament in a vote boycotted by the opposition.
Critics say he’s threatening Israel’s democratic principles and independence of the courts, possibly with an eye fixed to a corruption case he himself is facing. Netanyahu denies that, and in addition denies the fees against him.
The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, adjourns for recess on Saturday, so it might be weeks before Netanyahu’s future strategy becomes clear. Along with ultra-Orthodox and nationalist partners he controls 64 of 120 seats.
But there look like signs of unease and even regret inside Netanyahu’s own Likud party.
One Likud lawmaker admitted during an interview to “falling asleep on watch” and one other wrote on Facebook that going forward he would only support changes reached in “a broad national agreement”.
