A Nazi takeover of Israel?
By Dr. Paul Craig Roberts: The New York Times reports protests against Netanyahu’s attempt to take political control over Israel’s courts:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/14/world/middleeast/israel-protests-netanyahu.html
The right-wing government’s proposals for sweeping judicial reform are viewed by critics as anti-democratic and have galvanized the opposition.
Jan. 14, 2023
An estimated 80,000 protesters demonstrated against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Saturday.
JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of Israelis on Saturday night protested in Tel Aviv against the new right-wing government’s plans to fundamentally overhaul the judicial system, accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of trying to weaken the country’s democratic institutions just weeks after returning to power.
The protest was organized by grass-roots activists and backed by the leaders of Israel’s centrist and left-wing opposition parties. The Israeli news media estimated a turnout of 80,000 people by 8:30 p.m., despite a steady rain, and thousands more joined protests in Jerusalem and Haifa.
The protests were an early indication of the backlash facing the government, the sixth led by Mr. Netanyahu, and a clear illustration of widening political division and polarization in Israel.
Mr. Netanyahu, barely three weeks after his government was sworn in, is seeking to curb the powers of the country’s Supreme Court and has argued that the top court has too much influence.
Critics call the move a power grab that would limit judicial independence and oversight and give politicians the upper hand in appointing judges and government attorneys.
Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister and former army chief of staff, who attended the protest in Tel Aviv, said Mr. Netanyahu’s proposals would “crush” the judicial system.
“We won’t let that happen,” he said on Israeli television.
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