 "Thousands stage demonstrations outside Knesset as Israel debates on controversial judicial overhaul")
Thousands of people held demonstrations outside the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) on Wednesday to protest against a controversial judicial bill. The protests took place when lawmakers prepared for a final vote on the bill. The legislation in question intends to change the composition of the judicial selection committee.
The bill has garnered severe criticism from opposition lawmakers, who argue that the judicial overhaul would significantly damage Israel’s democracy. It also comes at a time when Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already receiving heated reactions to his government’s decision to resume fighting in Gaza.
Protesters slam Netanyahu for abandoning hostages
According to The Times of Israel, Demonstrators marched through Jerusalem past the Supreme Court building to the Knesset. In the afternoon, some people blocked Route 1 at the capital entrance and lit flares on the road. Demonstrations were also held in other parts of the country, including Tel Aviv.
Protest organisers who staged the demonstration against the Israeli government argued that the Netanyahu administration “abandoned the hostages, is harming Israel’s security, and is passing aggressive and extreme legislation without batting an eyelid,” a reference to those who were abducted during the October 7 attack by Hamas that eventually led to the war.
“The government has declared war on the Israeli people,” the statement said and called on lawmakers to “join us in the streets and open offices with us in the street.” Some opposition Israeli lawmakers eventually came out of the parliament building to support demonstrations. Labour MKs Gilad Kariv and Naama Lazimi, and Democrats MK Efrat Reitan all said they would set up office with the protesters, The Times of Israel reported.
In a post to X, Kariv wrote that he “opened my office outside the Knesset, along with my other colleagues and MKs, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the protesters and deliver a clear message [that] the people’s house no longer represents the people.”
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View All“The majority of the people are disgusted by this government, the majority of the people are demanding the return of the hostages, the establishment of a state commission of inquiry [into the failures surrounding October 7], and the holding of elections,” he added.
The legislation which has been intensely debated in the parliament would remove the two representatives of the Israel Bar Association currently on the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee that makes judicial appointments and would replace them with one lawyer to be directly chosen by the coalition and another chosen by the opposition.
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