Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Israel Over Judicial Reforms

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis protested across the country Saturday evening for the ninth consecutive week against the governments plans to overhaul the judicial system, weakening its independence and leaving it largely subordinate to the legislative branch.

Organizers of the protests said that 160,000 people turned out in Tel Aviv for the central protest, while tens of thousands more gathered in other locations across Israel. They said that 400,000 people in all attended the protests.

The speakers at the Tel Aviv protest included former Likud minister Limor Livnat, the Israeli media reported. Livnat mocked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s hardline response to the protests in a televised address last week, jokingly referring to those present as “anarchists” and “terrorists.”

The organizers of the protesters are reportedly planning a “Day of Disruption” on Thursday, similar to the one held last Wednesday that saw demonstrators block central roads and junctions around the country and clash with police in Tel Aviv.