Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues his proposed judicial overhaul amid raging demonstrations after accusing protesters of "trampling democracy."
The far-right government official's controversial set of bills seeks to weaken the country's judicial system and was passed in its first reading in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The two bills both passed with a vote of 63 to 47, as Netanyahu's coalition government has control of 64 seats in the chamber with 120 members.
Raging Protests
To become law, a bill must pass three readings in the Knesset. The Israeli prime minister's allies have continued to press forward with the proposed bill despite protests opposing its passage. Over the past seven weeks, tens of thousands of Israeli residents have called for the proposal's removal.
Protesters on Monday blocked roads in several cities across the country during demonstrations against the prime minister's judicial overhaul plans. In Jerusalem, protests turned the streets surrounding the Supreme Court and Knesset into a sea filled with Israeli flags that organizers handed out before the start of the event, as per CNN.
A few dozen women in the protests were dressed in long red dresses and white head coverings, similar to how the handmaids in the Margaret Atwood novel "The Handmaid's Tale" looked. They were accompanied by drummers, horn-blowers, and at least one juggler balancing an Israeli flag pole on his nose.
The demonstration in Jerusalem was seen as relatively smaller than the one in the same location last week. However, it still appeared to incorporate roughly 75,000 people after an hour and 15 minutes after it was scheduled to start.
The estimate was made by Ofer Grinboim Liron, a crowd control expert who is the CEO of Crowd Solutions. This company specializes in crowd dynamics at events and other venues.
Despite the first passage marking only the preliminary approval of the proposal, it raises concerns about passing all required readings to become law. According to the Associated Press, if passed, it would give Netanyahu's coalition government more power over who can become a judge on the Supreme Court.
Judicial Overhaul
The proposed judicial overhaul is also part of a broader package of changes that aim to weaken the nation's Supreme Court and transfer more authoritative power to the ruling coalition. The prime minister's ultra-religious and ultranationalist allies have argued that these overhauls are necessary to rein in an unelected judiciary.
However, critics expressed concerns that judges will be selected and appointed to the court based on their loyalty to the government or Netanyahu. They also said that the prime minister, currently facing a trial on corruption charges, has a conflict of interest in the legislation.
The protests come as Israeli authorities have announced the temporary suspension of adding new West Bank settlements. The decision seems to result from behind-the-scenes discussions between the United States, Israel, and Palestinian officials.
It also comes as Palestinian authorities are under scrutiny for agreeing to withdraw a United Nations Security Council resolution on the settlements. In a statement, the council said it was expressing its "deep concern and dismay" at recent developments, which is seen as largely symbolic at this point, said BBC.
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