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Justice: Israel: Hundreds of thousands of people protest against government

Justice: Israel: Hundreds of thousands of people protest against government

The anti-government protests are getting bigger. The demonstrators want to stop a controversial judicial reform in the country. Another blow to Netanyahu: he has to fire a close confidant.

More than 100,000 people have demonstrated in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The biggest protest so far against the right-wing religious coalition, which was sworn in at the end of December, was primarily directed against their plans, which critics see as a deliberate weakening of the judicial system. Netanyahu, meanwhile, was forced on Sunday to comply with a ruling by the highest court and sack one of his key ministers.

The judges on Wednesday classified the appointment of Arie Deri as interior and health minister because of his criminal past as “inappropriate”. Deri is chairman of the strictly religious Schas party. Netanyahu expressed great regret about the dismissal, which he only implemented “with a heavy heart”.

The Deri case had further fueled the protests in Israel. Demonstrators gathered at several locations in central Tel Aviv for the third straight Saturday night. Among other things, they waved Israeli flags. Posters read “Stop the end of democracy,” and pictures of Netanyahu with the words “Criminals” could also be seen.

The great Awakening”

The Israeli writer and peace activist David Grossman spoke at the demonstration of a “great awakening” of the public in Israel, the “beginning of the return from the crippling internal emigration”. With regard to the controversial judicial reform, he compared the country to a house that is on fire. “I refuse to be homeless in my own country,” Grossman said.

Liberal ex-Prime Minister Jair Lapid also attended the rally. Thousands of people also took to the streets in the cities of Jerusalem, Haifa and Beersheba.

Above all, they protested against the highly controversial plans of Justice Minister Jariv Levin. A majority in parliament should therefore be able to pass a law, even if it violates the Basic Law in the opinion of the highest court. Levin also wants to change the composition of the panel that appoints judges. The far-reaching changes could also play into Netanyahu’s hands in an ongoing corruption trial against him.

Advocates of the planned judicial reform feel vindicated by the judgment against Deri. For years, they have accused the Supreme Court of excessive interference in political decisions.

The judges justified their judgment with the repeated conviction of Deri. They also stated that last year, in a court case for tax offenses, he had assured the court that he would withdraw from politics. Deri himself denies this.

The longtime Schas chairman is considered a close confidant of Netanyahu. His appointment had been a crucial demand by his party during the coalition negotiations. Before the verdict, members of the party threatened to leave the government if Deri were to lose his post. The party holds eleven of the governing coalition’s 64 seats in parliament. The coalition had changed a law so that Deri could become a minister despite his conviction.

Source: Stern

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