News / Palestine

Israeli officials ‘worried’ as anti-Netanyahu protests escalate

Sunday, 15 January 2023 7:25 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 15 January 2023 7:40 PM ]

Israeli protesters rally against the planned judicial overhaul in the occupied al-Quds, on January 14, 2023 (Photo by Israeli media))

Widespread rallies against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new extremist cabinet and its proposed judicial reforms plan have caused fears among Israeli officials, with the regime’s president saying he is deeply worried about the growing protests.

Isaac Herzog said on Sunday that he had been working for days to mediate discussions between relevant political figures in Israel over the hardline cabinet’s contentious planned judicial overhaul, which is projected to hand more powers to lawmakers.

“We are in the grips of a profound disagreement that is tearing our nation apart,” the Israeli president said in a statement. “This conflict worries me deeply, as it worries many across Israel and the diaspora.”

Herzog said he was focused on “averting a historic constitutional crisis and stopping the continued rift within” Israel, yet he admitted that he could fail in his efforts as “there is still a long way to go and significant gaps remain.”

He made the comments a day after a mass protest outside Netanyahu’s residence in occupied al-Quds.

'Bring down the dictator', protesters shout in thousands-strong anti-Netanyahu rallies

Tens of thousands rally in Tel Aviv and other cities across the occupied territories against Israeli prime minister and his far-right cabinet.

A massive demonstration was also held in Tel Aviv against his coalition’s plans for sweeping changes in the judiciary, which include weakening the courts’ ability to rein in parliament and granting the cabinet greater control over judge selection. The coalition has also announced intentions to pursue settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

The demonstration was the biggest since Netanyahu’s cabinet took office in late December after he returned to power at the head of a coalition with extreme-right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

Netanyahu was indicted for receiving bribe, fraud, and breach of trust during the twilight of his previous mandate as premier in 2019. His detractors consider the so-called judicial reforms to be a vehicle for him to circumvent the repercussions of his corruption scandal.

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