'Step up the pressure': Demonstrators prepare for 11th week of escalating protests

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Tel Aviv anti-overhaul rally to kick off with national anthem sung by teen girl whose performance was nixed over ultra-Orthodox man in audience; ex-Bank of Israel chief to speak

By TOI STAFF Times of Israel
Today, 8:12 amUpdated at 1:36 pm 3/18/22

The escalating mass protests against the government’s efforts to hamstring the judiciary are set to continue on Saturday night with rallies planned for Tel Aviv and dozens of other locations around the country.

The demonstrations will mark the 11th consecutive weekend protest since Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the plan to strip power from the country’s courts to the benefit of the ruling coalition, setting off a fierce backlash from opponents who believe the move will fundamentally alter Israel’s democratic system by removing the only real check on unfettered majority rule.

Recent weeks have seen the rallies swell as the government plowed ahead with the legislation, including this week, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers immediately slapped down President Isaac Herzog’s proposal for an alternative judicial reform. Opposition leaders, however, have rallied behind the president’s plan, calling the proposal workable but not ideal.

In his announcement, Herzog warned that the country was teetering at the edge of an abyss and risked descending into civil war… In addition to the public protests, IDF reservists have increasingly expressed doubt about their continued service, or said they will stop showing up, due to the government’s plans.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/step-up-the-pressure-demonstrators-prepare-for-11th-week-of-escalating-protests/