“This is not about so-called judicial reform, this is about democracy,” Sheila Katz, head of the National Council of Jewish Women, said from the rally in central Tel Aviv, a sea of blue and white national flags. “In order for your sacred courts to protect the rights of all people, they must remain independent of politics.”
A crowd of Israelis carried signs marked Israel’s 75th birthday and banners with the words “minister of crime” over Netanyahu’s face.
The protests have galvanized people across Israeli society. Thousands of officers in the army’s elite reserve units have said they will refuse to report for duty. High-tech business leaders and the security establishment have spoken out against the proposal. The unions have called a general strike.
President Biden, the leader of Israel’s most crucial ally, has even publicly rejected Netanyahu, telling him he “cannot continue down this path.”
Furious public protests last month brought Israeli cities to a standstill and threatened to shut down the economy, forcing Netanyahu to delay the plan in hopes of finding a compromise.
But the protesters have not been discouraged. A crowd of Israelis chanting “Shame!” have flooded the streets in the weeks since Netanyahu stepped down, demanding that the review be scrapped entirely.
The plan would give Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges, and his partners in Israel’s toughest-ever coalition, the final say in the appointment of judges. It would also give parliament, which is controlled by its allies, the authority to overturn Supreme Court decisions and limit the court’s ability to review laws.
