First modification:
It is the sixteenth Saturday that thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities to oppose the government’s judicial reform, perceived as an attack on democracy.
The weekly protests continue despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing a “pause” on his judicial reform to allow more dialogue around the bills.
This April 22 was no exception, despite the fact that another massive sit-in is planned tomorrow to coincide with a speech by Netanyahu in front of the general assembly of the Federations of North American Jews.
The government’s proposed reform could limit the authority of the Supreme Court and give politicians more power to select judges.
The Netanyahu Administration, a coalition between his party, the Likud, and its far-right allies and ultra-Orthodox Jews, justify that these changes will balance the balance of power in Israel.
Today’s massive demonstrations came three days before Israel celebrates its “Independence Day”, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the state, and on the eve of Memorial Day, with controversy over whether the commemorative and solemn acts they must be impregnated with political demands or not.
The reform has put the Netanyahu government in check, which has lost much of its social support, with 53% of citizens believing that the judicial reform is detrimental to the country, and 60% saying they do not feel represented by the Executive , according to a survey published this weekend by the public broadcaster Kan.
Another poll published yesterday by the Maariv newspaper shows that the current coalition led by Netanyahu would not revalidate the government if elections were held today adding only 47 seats compared to the 64 it has today in a Knesset of 120 deputies.
Netanyahu’s Likud would not be the party with the most votes, with only 26 seats -compared to 32 now- and would be surpassed with one more deputy by the center-right National Unity party, led by former Defense Minister Benny Gantz .
The formations that today make up the opposition bloc would bring together 68 deputies, a sufficient majority to govern, with Gantz at the helm, who is seen as a moderate and center figure capable of gaining support on both sides of the political spectrum.
#Tens #thousands #Israelis #hold #protest #Netanyahus #judicial #reform