Abdel Ra'ouf Arnaout
23 March 2023•Update: 24 March 2023
JERUSALEM
Dozens of Israeli protesters were arrested as thousands rallied against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul plan, local media reported.
In Tel Aviv, police said that it arrested 26 protesters for public disturbances.
According to Haaretz newspaper, nearly 60 Israeli protesters have been arrested in different areas across Israel.
The police in the northern city of Haifa used water cannons to disperse protesters.
Dubbed as “Day of Paralysis,” rallies at dozens of locations are expected to be joined by nearly half a million people, according to The Times of Israel.
Israel has seen mass protests over the past 12 weeks against the government’s judicial reform plan, seen by the opposition as an attempt to reduce the powers of the judicial authority in favor of the executive authority.
Protests are taking place in major streets and near the homes of members of the ruling coalition.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN also reported that dozens of Israelis staged a protest in front of the home of far-right Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri in West Jerusalem.
Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the system of government in Israel.
The planned change would severely limit the power of the Israeli Supreme Court, give the government the power to choose judges, and end the appointment of legal advisers to ministries by the attorney general.
However, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, insists that his judicial plan would enhance democracy and would restore the balance between the legislative, executive, and judicial powers.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara
