Thousands of Israelis protest against judicial reform in Jerusalem

More than 70,000 Israelis demonstrated today in Jerusalem, according to local media, in rejection of the judicial reform promoted by Benjamin Netanyahu's new government, which would undermine the independence of the judiciary and whose approval process began this Monday in Parliament. The demonstrators arrived from different parts of the country and gathered around the Knesset (Parliament) carrying Israeli flags and signs with messages against the reform. 

This is the first mass protest in Jerusalem after six consecutive weeks of mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv. Local media reported that the protest in front of parliament drew more than 70,000 people and that hundreds of businesses and shops decided not to work today, in support of the protests and to allow their employees to demonstrate. 

These demonstrations coincide with the start of legal proceedings on Monday to approve the reform. The Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved for first reading in plenary two of the bills proposed in the judicial reform, which aim to change the composition of the judges' selection committee and would restrict the Supreme Court's ability to review and change laws.

If approved in plenary, these bills would return to committee to prepare for their second and third readings, before being passed into law. This initiative also provides for a so-called "annulment clause", which would mean that a simple majority of MPs in parliament could overturn rulings issued by the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has the power to strike down rulings it sees as contrary to Israel's basic law - which has constitutional status - and opponents of the plan believe the reform would erode the separation of powers and weaken the formal foundations of Israeli democracy. 

Several members of the opposition today expressed their support for the demonstrations, which spread across Israel from north to south. Former Prime Minister and current opposition leader Yair Lapid was present at the protest outside parliament in Jerusalem and warned that the new government "wants to turn the state of Israel into a dark dictatorship". "We will not stand silent while they destroy the most valuable thing we have," Lapid told the crowd. 

Also present at the protests was former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, who stressed that "these are decisive days for Israeli democracy". "We are not prepared for the politicisation of the judicial system, this is what protects citizens and their civil rights. We must not allow it to be damaged in any way," he concluded.