Thousands of Israelis protest planned judicial reform by Netanyahu’s gov’t

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv on Saturday against a planned judicial reform by the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, nearly 40,000 Israelis joined the anti-government rally in Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street area.

Another protest attended by nearly 10,000 demonstrators took place at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, KAN said.

Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the planned reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.

The changes would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general.

Last Saturday, around 80,000 Israelis demonstrated in Tel Aviv in protest of the government’s plan to overhaul the judicial system.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, defended the controversial reform, saying he has a mandate from millions of voters to carry out the changes.

Netanyahu's government was sworn in on Dec. 29 following elections in November which gave his right-wing bloc a simple majority to form a new government.