Thousands in Israel protest Netanyahu’s plans to limit courts

JERUSALEM – Tens of thousands of Israelis on Saturday night protested in Tel Aviv against the new right-wing government’s plans to fundamentally overhaul the judicial system, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to weaken the country’s democratic institutions just weeks after returning to power.

The protest was organized by grassroots activists and backed by the leaders of Israel’s centrist and left-wing opposition parties. The Israeli news media estimated a turnout of 80,000 people by 8:30 p.m., despite a steady rain, and thousands more joined protests in Jerusalem and Haifa.

The protests were an early indication of the backlash facing the government, the sixth led by Netanyahu, and a clear illustration of widening political division and polarization in Israel.

Netanyahu, barely three weeks after his government was sworn in, is seeking to curb the powers of the country’s Supreme Court and has argued that the top court has too much influence.

Critics call the move a power grab that would limit judicial independence and oversight and give politicians the upper hand in appointing judges and government attorneys.

Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister and former army chief of staff, who attended the protest in Tel Aviv, said Netanyahu’s proposals would “crush” the judicial system.

“We won’t let that happen,” he said on Israeli television.

In and around Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, many protesters carried umbrellas or placards. But others carried Israeli flags, the symbol of the modern Jewish state whose liberal democracy they believe is under threat.

Some protesters held placards with sharp messages warning of “fascism,” a “coup d’état” and corruption. Netanyahu is currently on trial on charges of corruption. One sign read: “We will die before giving up on democracy.”

The governing coalition, led by Netanyahu and his conservative Likud party, includes far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. Widely considered the most right-wing and religiously conservative coalition in Israel’s history, it won a majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament in the November elections.

The government’s proposed changes include reducing the Supreme Court’s judicial oversight, including stripping it of the ability to strike down legislation that it deems unreasonable. The government also wants to change the way judges are chosen, and turn the legal advisers in government ministries into political appointees who would no longer answer to the attorney general.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.