Thousands of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv again on Saturday evening, April 15, to protest against the reform of the justice system sought by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, which the demonstrators consider an attack on democracy.

"Save democracy," read placards amid a sea of Israeli flags as some protesters lit Bengal fires and smoke bombs, AFP journalists said.

Other smaller demonstrations took place in other Israeli cities, including Haifa (north) and Jerusalem, as well as in Modiin in central Israel, in front of the house of Justice Minister Yariv Levin.

Weekly protests

Since the announcement of the reform project in early January, tens of thousands of Israelis have gathered every week to denounce the text and condemn the government formed in December by Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the most right-wing in Israel.

The latter announced on March 27 a "pause" to give a "chance [...] dialogue", after an intensification of protests, the beginning of a general strike and the appearance of tensions within the majority, but the mobilization against the reform remains strong.

For the government, the text aims, among other things, to rebalance powers by reducing the prerogatives of the Supreme Court, which the executive considers politicized, to the benefit of Parliament. Critics of the reform, on the contrary, believe that it risks paving the way for an authoritarian drift.

"We are fighting for our democracy, we have no other country," Nadav Tamir, 61, from Givatayim, a suburb of Tel Aviv, told AFP. "We're all tired and I didn't want to come today but my sister told me 'we have no choice,' and it's true, we have no choice, we can't let our guard down, we have to defend our country," said Karen Baron, a 45-year-old psychiatrist from Tel Aviv.

Moody's downgrades Israel's credit outlook

The new protest comes as US financial rating agency Moody's said Friday it was downgrading Israel's credit outlook from "positive" to "stable."

This change in perspective reflects, according to the agency, "a deterioration in Israel's governance, as illustrated by recent events around the government's proposal to reform the country's judicial system."

"While mass protests have led the government to suspend legislation and seek dialogue with the opposition, the way the government has attempted to implement a far-reaching reform without seeking broad consensus indicates a weakening of institutional strength," she added.

With AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to look back on the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news with you everywhere! Download the France 24 app