Yesterday, Thursday, the President of the Israeli Supreme Court, Judge Esther Hayut, attacked a project presented by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to amend the judicial system, describing it as a "wild attack" on the judiciary and undermining democracy, and the Minister of Justice described her statements as incitement to riots.

Earlier the same day, about 400 Israeli lawyers demonstrated in front of the Tel Aviv court to protest the controversial government project to amend the judicial system, considering it a threat to democracy, and chanted slogans such as "shame" and "we will not allow that to happen."

"The new project of the Minister of Justice does not aim to improve the judicial system, but rather to crush it," Hayut said.

"This is an unbridled attack on the judicial system, as if it were an enemy that must be crushed," she added.

The chief justice of Israel's Supreme Court issued the stark warning in reaction to a plan put forward by new Justice Minister Yariv Levin and backed by Netanyahu, which seeks to limit Supreme Court rulings against government actions or Knesset laws, while giving greater weight to politicians' opinions in choosing judges.

In response to these statements, the Minister of Justice in the new government that was sworn in at the end of last year considered that Hayut seeks to "incite riots," and described her criticism as "an invitation to set fire to the streets."

In a televised interview, he said, "The reform that I presented will make Israel a functioning Western democracy once again, and will ensure a diverse judicial system that reflects the entire nation," and said that he is "engaged in dialogue with all parties (...) to reach the best and most balanced results."

The project to amend the judicial system included the adoption of the "exception clause", which allows Parliament, by a simple majority, to override Supreme Court decisions, and seeks to grant Parliament more powers in appointing judges.

Attorney General and Attorney General of Israel Gali Bahrav-Miara issued her own warning about the planned amendments.

And she said, according to a statement by the Ministry of Justice, that "the proposed legislation, if approved in its current form, will lead to an imbalance in the system of checks and balances."

Attorney Orna Sher described Levin's proposals as "dangerous" and a threat to democracy, and said, "The appointment of judges will be political. The court will not be independent, but rather it will be controlled by politicians."

Judges in Israel are chosen by a joint committee of judges, lawyers and representatives under the supervision of the Ministry of Justice.

In an open letter published Thursday, a group of current and former Israeli attorneys general expressed their "shock" at Levin's proposals.

"We call on the government to reverse the plan it announced, and to prevent serious damage to the court system and the rule of law," wrote 11 senior judges, most of whom served on the Supreme Court.

In Israel, the Supreme Court can overturn laws passed by the Knesset if it deems them to conflict with the country's basic laws, so passing an "exception clause" would allow parliament to reintroduce a law previously rejected by judges.

On December 29, a government headed by Netanyahu was formed, the most right-wing government in Israel's history.

Netanyahu says he will preserve the independence of the judiciary, knowing that he is being tried on corruption charges, which he denies.