Amid widespread protests for the twenty-ninth consecutive weekend, Israelis supporting democracy set up a camp in Jerusalem to protest Netanyahu's coalition bill aimed at significantly weakening the Israeli Supreme Court's ability to review government actions judicially. The demonstrators chose tents to spend their night in the streets, reinforcing their defiance against any anticipated judicial decisions. Israeli media reported that President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not reached a consensus on the judicial reforms.
Israel has been hit by protests as the Knesset began discussions on a controversial part of judicial reform that has been in the spotlight for months. Tens of thousands demonstrated in support of the bill in Tel Aviv on Sunday evening, while tens of thousands protested against the proposal from the religious right-wing government led by Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Under the amendments, the Supreme Court would no longer be able to rule a government decision as "unreasonable." The opposition fears that these reforms may encourage corruption and authoritarian appointments to high positions. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is engaged in last-minute negotiations to reach a settlement between the opposition and Netanyahu’s government, just before the parliament votes on a critical aspect of the controversial judicial reform bill that has sparked unprecedented protests.
Netanyahu's government, which includes extremist right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties, plans to limit the Supreme Court's powers under the pretext that changes are necessary to ensure a better balance of powers. The Israeli president, who recently returned from a visit to the United States, visited Sheba Hospital to meet with Netanyahu, who underwent surgery on Saturday night for the implantation of a heart regulation device.
On Sunday, Israeli parliament members began discussions on the "reasonableness" provision, which will continue until Monday, the final voting date. This provision allows the judiciary to annul government decisions. The controversial judicial reform proposed by Netanyahu's far-right government in January has caused a severe division in Israel and sparked one of the largest protest movements in the country's history.
