JERUSALEM: Tens of thousands of demonstrators packed the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday night, marking the 28th straight week of protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the judicial system of the country.
Protest leaders warned that further days of disruption lie ahead.
Netanyahu’s government approved a key part of the reforms plan earlier this week, triggering the protest movement. The text still needs to be passed in two more votes, likely by the end of the month, before it becomes law.
Saturday night demonstratons have become a mainstay of the grassroots movement — but this week’s protest was larger than usual, according to foreign media.
On Tuesday, protesters blocked main highways and disrupted operations at the country’s major international airport after the PM’s parliamentary coalition advanced a bill that is an important part of the overhaul. Organizers announced they would hold another protest on Tuesday if Netanyahu continues to move ahead with the plan.
Saturday’s demonstration in Tel Aviv was joined by protestors in different parts of the country. Demonstrators brandished lit torches outside the prime minister’s home in Jerusalem and protested in the coastal cities of Netanya and Herzliya.
After more than six months of demonstrations, the movement shows little sign of abating. The national labor union and its medical association have joined hands with groups protesting against the legislation. Military reservists, business leaders, and fighter pilots have all demanded the government to stop the plan.
The national labor union Histadrut’s head Arnon Bar-David threatened a possible general strike that could paralyze the economy of the country.
He said that iIf the situation reached an extreme, they would intervene and employ their strength.
IMA joins protests
The Israeli Medical Association (IMA), which represents 90% of Israeli physicians, joined the Histadrut Friday, voting to use all available means, including considerable organizational moves to oppose the reasonableness legislation.
IMA chairman professor Zion Hagay said that the legislation will “devastate the health care system.
The overhaul demands for giving PM Netanyahu’s allied partners control over the judges appointment and giving parliament power to overrule court decisions.
