TOI-Online
Mar 23, 2023
Israel's parliament on March 23, 2023 passed the first of several laws that make up its contentious judicial overhaul as protesters opposing the changes staged another day of demonstrations.
Image Source: Reuters
The new judicial overhaul stipulates that a prime minister can only be deemed unfit to rule for health or mental reasons and that only he or his government can make that decision.
Image Source: Reuters
Critics say the law is tailor-made for PM Benjamin Netanyahu, encourages corruption and deepens a gaping chasm between Israelis over the judicial overhaul.
Image Source: Reuters
The legal changes have split the nation between those who see the new policies as stripping Israel of its democratic ideals and those who think the country has been overrun by a liberal judiciary.
Image Source: Reuters
On March 23, 2023, protesters blocked major thoroughfares, set tires ablaze near an important seaport and draped a large Israeli flag and a banner with the country’s Declaration of Independence over the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Image Source: Reuters
In Tel Aviv, the protesters say it is meant to drive home to that community that their rights are in danger under the overhaul. Ultra-Orthodox leaders see the demonstration in their community as provocative.
Image Source: Reuters
The overhaul crisis has magnified a longstanding rift between secular Jewish Israelis and religious ones over how much of a role religion should play in their day-to-day lives.
Image Source: Reuters
Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers in govt are central drivers of the overhaul because they believe the courts are a threat to their traditional way of life. In contrast, secular opponents to the changes fear they will open the door to religious coercion.
Image Source: Reuters
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