In a last-ditch show of force against a disputed judicial reform plan pushed by Netanyahu, the demonstrators approached al-Quds while carrying Israeli flags, water bottles, and umbrellas to protect them from the sweltering sun.
They
then began to assemble close to the parliament and the Supreme Court.
After a
multi-day march that started in Tel Aviv earlier this week, the demonstrators
had reached the holy city.
Meanwhile,
some 10,000 reservists have said they’ll halt their volunteer duty if the bill
becomes a law.
“We all share a responsibility to stop the deep division, polarization and rift among the people,” the reservists said in a declaration whose signatories included 235 fighter pilots, 173 drone operators, and 85 commando soldiers.
They called on Netanyahu’s cabinet to arrive at a broad consensus, strengthen the trust of the people in the judicial system and maintain its independence.
The signatories stated that any legislation implemented unreasonably would undermine their willingness to continue risking their lives and would compel them to suspend their voluntary reserve service.
Towards the end of the day on Thursday, Netanyahu stated that he was still trying to reach an agreement with the opposition, primarily about the reasonability clause.
The goal of the judicial overhaul plan is to deny the Israeli Supreme Court the ability to overturn political decisions made by the ruling party.
Additionally, it aims to give the government more control over the selection of judges for the court.
Supporters claim that the proposal will put a stop to decades of judicial overreach, while detractors say it will do away with important restraints on political authority.
Netanyahu, who is on trial for many counts of corruption, has also been accused by detractors of seeking to use the plan to overturn potential convictions.
Protesters have vowed to keep holding the monumental rallies until the cabinet decides against pushing through with the plan.
Those who support the plan claim that it brings some balance in the power that the various parts of the regime possess.
However, according to the plan’s detractors, approval would give the ruling class more authority to operate in an authoritarian manner.
According to pro-Netanyahu legislators, the new measure would be a much milder version of earlier bills that tried to almost completely pull down the Supreme Court’s authority to overturn presidential decisions.
However, the opposition claims that the proposed measure would still provide room for corruption.
