In Israel, Large Protests Against Proposed Judiciary Changes
2023-02-14
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1Tens of thousands of Israelis protested outside parliament Monday to show their opposition to government plans to reshape the country's judiciary.
2Some demonstrators carried flags and blew horns.
3Others shouted "democracy" and "no to dictatorship."
4The large protest took place outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament building in Jerusalem.
5Other large demonstrations were held in other cities.
6The administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed changes to the country's Supreme Court.
7Protests over the plans have been going on for weeks.
8The demonstrations have been supported by some influential business leaders and former military officials.
9The government plans would give the prime minister greater control over judicial appointments.
10Experts say the process would weaken the Supreme Court's ability to rule against government leaders.
11The Knesset's Constitutional Committee voted Monday to move the first official version of the plan forward.
12Several lawmakers were thrown out of the building after trying to delay the legislative process, Reuters news agency reported.
13"They hear our cry. They hear the strong voice of truth," opposition leader Yair Lapid said to the crowd outside of parliament.
14"They hear it and they're afraid."
15Netanyahu and his supporters say the proposed changes are needed to limit a judiciary that has become too powerful.
16But his critics say the changes would ruin Israeli democracy.
17Critics have also suggested that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest.
18He currently is on trial for a series of corruption charges.
19Organizers claimed at least 100,000 people protested at the Knesset.
20Members of opposition parties gave speeches to the crowd which included Arabs, women and LGBTQ activists.
21Thousands of people arrived in Jerusalem by train.
22Hundreds of others gathered for a protest at Jerusalem's Western Wall - Judaism's holiest place - before marching toward the Knesset.
23Although Netanyahu and his allies have a majority alliance, it is not clear when the full parliament will begin debating the legislation.
24Netanyahu issued a video accusing his political opponents of starting unrest and purposefully pushing the country "into anarchy."
25But Netanyahu noted there is still a way to reach a compromise.
26"Most citizens of Israel don't want anarchy. They want a substantive dialogue and in the end they want unity."
27At a joint press conference at the Knesset, former defense minister Benny Gantz said opposition party leaders remained united "against the targeted assassination of democracy."
28Netanyahu and his allies took office in December after the country's fifth election in four years.
29That election centered on Netanyahu's fitness for office at a time when he was facing serious criminal charges.
30Netanyahu has criticized the country's police, prosecutors and judges and said he is the victim of efforts to push him out of office.
31His critics say the proposed legal changes will destroy Israel's democratic system of checks and balances.
32I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Tens of thousands of Israelis protested outside parliament Monday to show their opposition to government plans to reshape the country's judiciary. 2Some demonstrators carried flags and blew horns. Others shouted "democracy" and "no to dictatorship." 3The large protest took place outside the Knesset, Israel's parliament building in Jerusalem. Other large demonstrations were held in other cities. 4The administration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed changes to the country's Supreme Court. Protests over the plans have been going on for weeks. The demonstrations have been supported by some influential business leaders and former military officials. 5The government plans would give the prime minister greater control over judicial appointments. Experts say the process would weaken the Supreme Court's ability to rule against government leaders. 6The Knesset's Constitutional Committee voted Monday to move the first official version of the plan forward. Several lawmakers were thrown out of the building after trying to delay the legislative process, Reuters news agency reported. 7"They hear our cry. They hear the strong voice of truth," opposition leader Yair Lapid said to the crowd outside of parliament. "They hear it and they're afraid." 8Netanyahu and his supporters say the proposed changes are needed to limit a judiciary that has become too powerful. But his critics say the changes would ruin Israeli democracy. Critics have also suggested that Netanyahu has a conflict of interest. He currently is on trial for a series of corruption charges. 9Organizers claimed at least 100,000 people protested at the Knesset. Members of opposition parties gave speeches to the crowd which included Arabs, women and LGBTQ activists. 10Thousands of people arrived in Jerusalem by train. Hundreds of others gathered for a protest at Jerusalem's Western Wall - Judaism's holiest place - before marching toward the Knesset. 11Although Netanyahu and his allies have a majority alliance, it is not clear when the full parliament will begin debating the legislation. 12Netanyahu issued a video accusing his political opponents of starting unrest and purposefully pushing the country "into anarchy." 13But Netanyahu noted there is still a way to reach a compromise. "Most citizens of Israel don't want anarchy. They want a substantive dialogue and in the end they want unity." 14At a joint press conference at the Knesset, former defense minister Benny Gantz said opposition party leaders remained united "against the targeted assassination of democracy." 15Netanyahu and his allies took office in December after the country's fifth election in four years. That election centered on Netanyahu's fitness for office at a time when he was facing serious criminal charges. 16Netanyahu has criticized the country's police, prosecutors and judges and said he is the victim of efforts to push him out of office. His critics say the proposed legal changes will destroy Israel's democratic system of checks and balances. 17I'm Bryan Lynn. 18The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 19_______________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21horn -n. a noise-making device 22anarchy -n. a state in which people are not controlled by laws or rules 23substantive - adj. important or serious 24dialogue - n. a formal discussion between countries or groups of people 25assassination - n. the killing of someone important or famous 26prosecutor - n. a lawyer who prosecutes people 27checks and balances - n. rules meant to prevent one person or group from having too much power within an organization 28___________________________________________________________ 29What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.