• Israel Defense Minister Calls for Halting Judicial Reform Proposal

Tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets to protest against Benjamin Netanyahu for the fifteenth consecutive Saturday since the controversial judicial reform was announced, an initiative that would undermine democracy but that they managed to paralyze to seek consensus between government and coalition.

More than 115,000 demonstrators, according to Israeli media accounts, came out to protest in Tel Aviv, the epicenter of the demonstrations, while tens of thousands of others gathered at 150 different points across the country.

Waving banners and Israeli flags, many of the demonstrators warned that protests would continue until judicial reform is "completely shelved."

In the crowd, opposition leader Yair Lapid hailed the "wonderful Israelis who took to the streets to defend their country."

However, there was also a counter-demonstration of 500 people in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, led by the Minister of National Security, the ultranationalist Itamar Ben Gvir.

"This is a historic innovation. Show me a case in history where the government speaks out against its citizens!" wrote Lapid on Twitter.

"We don't protest against, we protest against," retorted the controversial Ben Gvir, known for his incendiary rhetoric.

"When I want to save the people of Israel, there are legal difficulties. The people of Israel do not give up, everyone shouts: reform now! With God's help, the reform will allow us to achieve these dreams ... to approve the death penalty for terrorists and immunity for soldiers," he said.

The day passed with several attempts of violence that left at least 13 arrested, eight for starting fires and another five for blocking roads.

Meanwhile, authorities used mounted police and water cannons to disperse protesters.

ECONOMY AT RISK

This new day of protests takes place a day after the risk rating agency Moody's downgraded Israel's outlook from positive to stable due to the economic uncertainty generated by the controversial reform, which in its initial approach sought to undermine the independence of Justice and the separation of powers, by giving the Executive and Legislative more control.

Despite the fact that the social pressure of the protests and the call for a general strike at the end of March forced Netanyahu to postpone the processing of that legislation, social support for the Government and the prime minister plummets.

A poll published late Friday by Israel's most-watched Channel 12 indicated that only 52 percent of voters for Netanyahu's Likud party would vote for the party again.

In addition, among the overall voters, the poll reveals that 74% believe that the economic crisis is more important, compared to 19% who think that judicial reform is a priority.

"Israel's economy is stable and solid, with God's help, it will remain so," Netanyahu and his ultranationalist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said Saturday in a statement carried by local media.

"The concern raised by Moody's analysts about the reform and its effect on Israel's political and economic stability is natural for those who do not know the strength of Israeli society," they added.

One of the aspects that most worries Israelis about the reform is the law on the selection of judges, which gives the government almost total power over the committee that nominates them, and which should have been approved in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) the last week of March, before the parliamentary break for Passover (Jewish Passover). but that Netanyahu decided to postpone while he promotes a dialogue with the opposition sponsored by President Isaac Herzog.

  • Israel
  • Benjamin Netanyahu

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