Day of protest against judicial reform in Israel

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Protesters waved blue and white national flags and, according to media reports, temporarily blocked the central coastal road and a main road in central Tel Aviv. They also closed the entrances of numerous schools with chains as a sign of protest. The protest also took place at sea: participants with numerous boats and surfboards were out and about offshore. According to the organizers, they also blocked access to the port of Haifa.

The protesters also came to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport to block access roads there. The aim is to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from traveling to Italy. However, according to media reports, the prime minister wanted to get to the airport by helicopter to bypass the roadblocks.

Effects of judicial reform

The reform is progressing despite strong protests from large parts of the population. According to media reports, it could be approved in April in an accelerated procedure. In the future, according to plans by Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government, parliament could overturn Supreme Court decisions by a simple majority. In addition, politicians should be given more influence in the appointment of judges. The proposed law could also play into the hands of the head of government in a corruption trial against him that has been underway for some time.

In an interview with the news site ynet, opposition leader Jair Lapid expressed concern that once the reform is implemented, there could be “no more elections” in Israel. “There will be no more democracy here,” warned former Prime Minister Lapid, who lost last year’s election to Netanyahu. Experts have also warned of the reform’s catastrophic impact on Israel’s economy.

(SDA)

Source: Blick