TEL AVIV : There is no let up in discontent among citizens of Israel against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s controversial plan to revamp the country’s legal system, despite PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s suspension of the changes earlier in the week.
The protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial hub on the Mediterranean, for the 13th weekly demonstration, raising Israeli flags and banners against what they said were plans to weaken the Supreme Court.The protests have been going on since Netanyahu’s government, the most right-wing in the country’s history, introduced the changes.
But on Monday, Netanyahu delayed the overhaul plan that deeply divided the Israelis, saying he wanted “to avoid civil war” by making time to seek a compromise with political opponents. Protest organisers, however, vowed to keep up the pressure, calling for the plans to be scrapped. The proposal has plunged Israel into its worst domestic crisis in decades. Business leaders, top economists and former security chiefs have all come out against the plan, saying it is pushing the country away from democracy.
Fighter pilots and military reservists have threatened not to report for duty, and the country’s currency, the shekel, has tumbled in value. The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his allies the final say in appointing the nation’s judges. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by his allies, authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws.