Protests Continue against Netanyahu across Occupied Territories (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Tens of thousands of protesters held rallies across the occupied Palestinian territories against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reforms aimed at limiting the supreme court's ability to override decisions made by the cabinet and Knesset.
Demonstrators gathered for the ninth consecutive week in Tel Aviv, al-Quds, Karmiel, Netanya, Herzliya, Beersheba, and other areas.
A large banner reading "Crime Minister" was held up in Tel Aviv, where scuffles broke out between protesters and security forces at the end of the protest.
Israeli media estimated the number of demonstrators at over 200,000, with around 160,000 alone in Tel Aviv. Scuffles broke out in Tel Aviv after a group of protesters breached barricades and clashed with security forces, leading to the detention of four people.
Protesters demanded Netanyahu's resignation, and banners with slogans written in Hebrew, English, and Arabic were waved.
Netanyahu returned to power as the regime's prime minister in late December, heading a coalition of far-right and extremist parties. His proposed changes seek to take away the supreme court's ability to override decisions made by Netanyahu's extremist cabinet and the Knesset.
The so-called reforms have already received first-reading endorsement from the Knesset. Observers say the reforms can potentially enable the Knesset to annul a set of corruption charges that Netanyahu is being tried on. The prime minister is being sued for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.
The anti-Netanyahu marches have attracted huge crowds on a weekly basis since early January, when he introduced his plan. Similar protests were also held on Wednesday in which demonstrators denounced the planned reforms. Around 39 people were arrested during the Wednesday protest in Tel Aviv and 11 were injured.
