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Israelis took to the streets in droves to protest the government’s attempt to weaken the authority of the judges.
The police arrested more than 70 people after they closed major roads and then released 45 of the detainees. The protests began Monday night when lawmakers advanced a key component of judicial reform.
Opponents of the plans, which divided the country and alarmed foreign investors, gathered in their thousands at the main Ben Gurion International Airport, lining the sidewalks and waving Israeli flags. Flights continued as normal, and several hours later, the demonstrators returned to Tel Aviv.
Nine protesters and a police officer were treated for minor injuries related to the demonstrations, according to Israel’s emergency services. They said ambulances were being denied access to local hospitals, delaying urgent medical care for at least six patients.
The Israeli shekel was up 0.3%, at 3.69 per dollar, as of 5:45 pm local time. It has weakened by about 5% since the start of the year, due in large part to the protest movement and tech investors’ fears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will succeed in pushing through his proposals.
#Israel, anti-government protests and “day of disturbances” continue nationwide. Main show at Ben Gurion International Airport. It’s not officially supposed to start for another hour. pic.twitter.com/O4mNuxSVU6
“Last night, Israel became a country on the brink of dictatorship,” said one of the main protest groups. “This is the complete and total destruction of the State of Israel.”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu Alliance said Netanyahu The threads will not be affected and confirmed that she wants to change the judicial system “little by little”.
He urged the police to respond to the protesters forcefully. Education Minister Yoav Kisch called them “terrorists”.
The government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, says the judiciary is becoming more powerful and the left is in control. Opponents of the changes include a wide cross-section of Israelis, from tech entrepreneurs to veterans. They say the reform will give politicians unchecked powers.
Lawmakers have given tentative approval to a bill that would prevent judges from blocking government decisions they deem “unreasonable”. It must go through two more rounds of voting before it becomes law.
Israeli media said a group of reserve pilots met with the commander of the Israeli Air Force on Tuesday. “We will not serve a dictatorship, we have sworn to serve the kingdom, not the king,” they told him, according to reports.
Since the legislation on judicial reform resumed at the end of June, hundreds of Army reservists — medics, intelligence officers, combat soldiers and airmen — have signed letters affirming that they would not feel obligated to report for duty if the judicial changes become law.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant He said calls to stop serving or volunteering are “a reward for our enemies” and undermine the country’s security.
Dan Illouz, an MP for Netanyahu’s Likud party, said the protesters did not understand that judicial change would make Israel’s democracy stronger. He added that the government with a majority in parliament has the democratic right to pass legislation.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who was prime minister until late last year, accused the coalition of behaving “like thieves in the night”.
He said in a tweet on Twitter: “The government has removed the requirement of reasonableness and proved that nothing matters to it except corrupt anti-democratic laws.”
The police arrested more than 70 people after they closed major roads and then released 45 of the detainees. The protests began Monday night when lawmakers advanced a key component of judicial reform.
Opponents of the plans, which divided the country and alarmed foreign investors, gathered in their thousands at the main Ben Gurion International Airport, lining the sidewalks and waving Israeli flags. Flights continued as normal, and several hours later, the demonstrators returned to Tel Aviv.
Nine protesters and a police officer were treated for minor injuries related to the demonstrations, according to Israel’s emergency services. They said ambulances were being denied access to local hospitals, delaying urgent medical care for at least six patients.
The Israeli shekel was up 0.3%, at 3.69 per dollar, as of 5:45 pm local time. It has weakened by about 5% since the start of the year, due in large part to the protest movement and tech investors’ fears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will succeed in pushing through his proposals.
#Israel, anti-government protests and “day of disturbances” continue nationwide. Main show at Ben Gurion International Airport. It’s not officially supposed to start for another hour. pic.twitter.com/O4mNuxSVU6
“Last night, Israel became a country on the brink of dictatorship,” said one of the main protest groups. “This is the complete and total destruction of the State of Israel.”
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu Alliance said Netanyahu The threads will not be affected and confirmed that she wants to change the judicial system “little by little”.
He urged the police to respond to the protesters forcefully. Education Minister Yoav Kisch called them “terrorists”.
The government, the most right-wing in Israel’s history, says the judiciary is becoming more powerful and the left is in control. Opponents of the changes include a wide cross-section of Israelis, from tech entrepreneurs to veterans. They say the reform will give politicians unchecked powers.
Lawmakers have given tentative approval to a bill that would prevent judges from blocking government decisions they deem “unreasonable”. It must go through two more rounds of voting before it becomes law.
Israeli media said a group of reserve pilots met with the commander of the Israeli Air Force on Tuesday. “We will not serve a dictatorship, we have sworn to serve the kingdom, not the king,” they told him, according to reports.
Since the legislation on judicial reform resumed at the end of June, hundreds of Army reservists — medics, intelligence officers, combat soldiers and airmen — have signed letters affirming that they would not feel obligated to report for duty if the judicial changes become law.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant He said calls to stop serving or volunteering are “a reward for our enemies” and undermine the country’s security.
Dan Illouz, an MP for Netanyahu’s Likud party, said the protesters did not understand that judicial change would make Israel’s democracy stronger. He added that the government with a majority in parliament has the democratic right to pass legislation.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who was prime minister until late last year, accused the coalition of behaving “like thieves in the night”.
He said in a tweet on Twitter: “The government has removed the requirement of reasonableness and proved that nothing matters to it except corrupt anti-democratic laws.”
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