A poll released by Israel's public broadcaster on Friday found the plans are deeply unpopular, with 53% saying they believe the plans will harm the country. Additionally, 60% of Israelis said the government does not represent them and 48% believe the situation in the country will continue to get worse. In central Tel Aviv, for the 16th consecutive week, crowds gathered in a show of defiance against plans they see as an existential threat to Israeli democracy. They were waving the blue and white Israeli flags that have become a hallmark of the protests over the past three months. (Reporting by Emily Rose, Rami Amichai; Editing by David Gregorio)
TEL AVIV, April 22 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of
Israelis joined protests on Saturday against Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to tighten controls on the Supreme
Court, ahead of Israel's independence day marking 75 years since
establishment of the Jewish state.
The plans were paused last month in the face of a wave of
strikes and mass demonstrations. The latest protests against
them come as Israelis are set to mark both Israeli independence
day and Israeli memorial day, which commemorates those killed in
Israel's wars and in terror attacks.
"My father was killed on Yom Kippur War," 53-year-old
photographer Miri Pinchuk told Reuters. "He gave his life for
this country, because he was raised up also with the belief that
it's going to be a democracy."
The proposals would give the government effective control
over appointment of Supreme Court judges and allow parliament to
overrule many decisions of the court. They have caused one of
the biggest domestic crises in Israel's recent history.
The government accuses activist judges of increasingly
usurping the role of parliament, and says the overhaul is needed
to restore balance between the judiciary and elected
politicians.
Critics say it will remove vital checks and balances
underpinning a democratic state and hand unchecked power to the
government.
"There is this sentence from the bible, from David's
lamentation, saying 'How heroes fell'. And actually, the
question now turns to instead of 'How heroes fell?', to 'For
what?'," 63-year-old lawyer David Gilat told Reuters.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.