Israel's people still protest against the government's plan to change the judicial system. This has been going on for 32 weeks now! Can you believe it?
Over the weekend, tens of thousands of people came together in cities like Tel Aviv, West Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Herzliya, and Rehovot to show their opposition to the government's plans.
Biggest Protest in Tel Aviv
As always, the biggest protest happened in Tel Aviv. People gathered in front of the Government Complex on Kaplan Street and made speeches to express their concerns about the changes.
The protest leaders accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to weaken the rule of law and maybe even causing a constitutional crisis. They really want to protect democracy!
During the demonstrations, people waved Israeli flags, chanted slogans supporting democracy, and used drums, whistles, and air horns to make some noise and create a rhythm.
What's This Judicial Reform About?
The Justice Minister, Yariv Levin, announced a plan to change the judicial system on January 5th. This plan included things like reducing the Supreme Court's powers and giving the government more control over who becomes a judge.
Netanyahu, the Prime Minister, said in March that he would delay the reform because of all the protests and strikes happening. But he also mentioned that the government would bring it back after the budget was approved in late May.
Since the government couldn't reach an agreement with the opposition, they recently started the reform process again. As part of this, they want to pass a bill in parliament to remove the Supreme Court's oversight of the government.
Opposition from Various Groups
Many people are not happy with these plans. In fact, thousands of Israelis, including war pilots, submarine officers, and other elite units, have decided to resign from their voluntary reserve service in protest.
Even Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is working to postpone the bill because of the reactions from these reserve soldiers. Lots of important people from politics, the military, security, economy, and the judiciary have also spoken out against the reform plans.
