JERUSALEM, 13 Feb: Tens of thousands of Israelis \u2014 hoisting flags, blowing on horns and chanting \u201cdemocracy\u201d and \u201cno to dictatorship\u201d\u2014 protested outside the parliament building Monday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government formally launched a contentious plan to overhaul the country\u2019s legal system.
\nIt was the largest protest outside the Knesset in years and reflected the deep divisions over the plan. The proposed changes have triggered weeks of mass demonstrations, drawn cries of protests from influential business leaders and former military men and even prompted a statement of concern from President Joe Biden.
\nDespite a plea from the nation\u2019s figurehead president to put the legislation on hold, Netanyahu\u2019s allies approved a series of legislative changes during a stormy committee meeting Tuesday. The vote now sends the legislation to the full parliament for a series of votes \u2014 an opening salvo in a battle expected to stretch on for weeks.
\n\u201cThey hear our cry. They hear the strong voice of truth,\u201d opposition leader Yair Lapid said from the stage outside parliament. \u201cThey hear it and they\u2019re afraid.\u201d
\nNetanyahu and his supporters say the proposed changes are needed to rein in a judiciary that wields too much power. But his critics say the judicial overhaul is tantamount to a coup and will destroy Israeli democracy. They also say that Netanyahu, who is on trial for a series of corruption charges, has a conflict of interest.
\nThe protesters came from across the country. Organizers said that upwards of 100,000 people were in attendance, with female LGBTQ activists and leaders of the opposition parties addressing the crowd.
\nThousands of people arrived in Jerusalem on packed trains, streaming up escalators in the city\u2019s main train station chanting, \u201cdemocracy,\u201d cheering and whistling, and waving the national flag. Hundreds of others gathered in protest at Jerusalem\u2019s Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, before marching toward the Knesset.
\nIn parliament, opposition lawmakers vocally protested the proposed reform to judge appointments ahead of a committee vote that would send the bill to the full parliament for a vote. During an unruly session, members of the opposition stood on the conference table and shouted as a key Netanyahu ally tried to hold the vote. The motions passed in a 9-7 committee vote.
\nThrongs of people marched to the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, a day after the country\u2019s figurehead president urged Netanyahu\u2019s government to delay its proposed changes to the judiciary \u2014 moves that critics say will weaken the country\u2019s Supreme Court and erode democratic checks and balances.
\nMany protesters carried the blue and white Israeli flag and posters decrying what they saw as attack on the country\u2019s democratic institutions. \u201cShame! Shame!\u201d and \u201cIsrael will not be a dictatorship!\u201d they chanted. (AP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
JERUSALEM, 13 Feb: Tens of thousands of Israelis \u2014 hoisting flags, blowing on horns and chanting \u201cdemocracy\u201d and \u201cno to dictatorship\u201d\u2014 protested outside the parliament building Monday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government formally launched a contentious plan to overhaul the country\u2019s legal system. It was the largest protest outside the Knesset in years and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-210888","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210888\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}