There have been massive protests in Israel over judicial reform being promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition. The Knesset approved for first reading two bills that directly affect the judiciary, effectively subordinating to the government the system for electing judges of the Supreme Court, and also deprive the Supreme Court of the power to change the main (constitutional) laws or their paragraphs if they conflict with the already adopted constitutional law. This is reported by Novaya Gazeta.
According to critics of the reform, it will greatly weaken the judiciary and break the system of checks and balances. The deputies from the opposition who most actively protested against the adoption of the bills were removed from the hall during the voting.
On voting day on February 13, protests began outside the Knesset building, this is the largest rally in recent years, Novaya writes. According to law enforcement officers, about 70 thousand people took part in it, the organizers say about 90 thousand. At the same time, as Novaya Gazeta notes, there were not too many law enforcement officers at the rally. No one was detained, even a man who was able to break through the cordon to the Knesset was released.
