The Israeli government’s plans to overhaul the judiciary have faced opposition, with tens of thousands of people protesting against the measures. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has become the first member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to publicly oppose the changes. Gallant has called for talks with the opposition and has asked the government to wait until after the Jewish Passover holiday before pushing ahead with the judicial changes. Protests against the proposed judicial reforms have been ongoing since January, with thousands of demonstrators facing off against police in the streets weekly. The latest protest on Saturday saw an estimated 200,000 people turn out in Tel Aviv to voice their opposition to the plan.
The proposed judicial reforms in Israel have sparked mass protests since they were announced in January, with thousands of people demonstrating against them on a weekly basis. The changes would limit the Supreme Court’s powers to rule against the legislative and executive branches of government and give coalition lawmakers more power in appointing judges. The present proposal requires politicians and judges who sit on the panel for selecting judges to agree on appointments, but the proposed changes would give coalition governments more influence. The government denies that the reforms are an attempt to freeze or void Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges, but some fear this is the case. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has called on the government to halt the reforms, warning that the deepening split is seeping into military and defence institutions and posing a clear danger to Israel’s security. This marks the first public dissent from within Netanyahu’s government.
