Thousands of Israelis demonstrate as Knesset votes on judicial reform bill

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated outside the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) in West Jerusalem on Monday against controversial plans for a judicial overhaul.

Demonstrators waved Israeli flags and closed the roads leading to the Knesset building, Haaretz daily reported.

The daily estimated the number of participants in Monday’s demonstrations at over 100,000.

The protests came as the Knesset plans to vote on a judicial reform bill in the first reading.

Two more rounds of voting will be needed before the bill becomes law.

In a meeting with his Likud Party, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the opposition of seeking a war between Israelis.

He vowed, however, to move ahead with his judicial reform plans despite the protests.

"We all said six weeks ago there is room for dialogue, but there is no place for thuggish behavior," Netanyahu said.

Thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in the past weeks to protest Netanyahu’s plans for judicial overhaul.

Proposed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the reform, if enacted, would be the most radical change ever in the Israeli system of government.

The planned change would severely limit the power of the Supreme Court of Justice, 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.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara