Thousands protest Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul Israelis judicial system

Tens of thousands of Israelis on Monday, occupied the premises of the parliament building, the Knesset, to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s legal system.

The demonstration coincided with a stormy committee vote inside the building which appeared to deepen the divisions over Netanyahu’s government’s program.

According to the Israeli government, the plan to water down the powers of the country’s unelected judges by Netanyahu’s opponents say the Prime Minister who is on trial for corruption charges, has a deep conflict of interest.

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The proposal has also triggered weeks of mass protests with opposition figures claiming Netanyahu and his allies were planning the overhaul to destroy the country’s democratic checks and balances and a poorly disguised plot to make his criminal case go away.

Monday’s demonstration was the largest to take place in the city in years with thousands of people pouring into Jerusalem from around the country on jam-packed trains, hoisting flags and chanting “democracy” as they exited the station.

A leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, while addressing the protesters, said there was no going back on the protests.

“They hear us. They hear our strength and our commitment. They pretend they don’t hear. They pretend they’re not afraid. But they hear and they are afraid,” he said.

Organizers claimed that more than 100,000 people joined the rally from every part of the country including Arabs, women’s rights and LGBTQ activists as well as opposition parties, and groups of academics, army reservists, students, high-tech employees, retirees and young families.

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